Galactic War
by DeathGoblin
Summary: Sequel to 'Crossroads of Destiny', and picks up directly after the battle between Gohan and Cell. The Big Five have started a war to control the galaxy, and seem to be on the road to victory, while Cell remains unstopable. What will Juu do now?
1. Shattered

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Cell eyed his handiwork with a gleeful smile. Below him lay the ruins of the city, a large crater marking the spot where Gohan had been. If Gohan's body hadn't been vaporized, it would be buried beneath the rubble at the bottom of the crater.

Taking his eyes off the desolate landscape, Cell turned his attention towards himself, flexing his biceps and reveling in his own power. "Yes! I win! I am the strongest! There isn't anyone on this planet…no, in the entire universe that I cannot defeat! I am Cell; the perfect warrior!" Cell began laughing as he powered up. The entire planet began shacking as his power reached its zenith.

However, his joy was quickly replaced with confusion. Gohan was undoubtedly the strongest opponent he could ever face. With him dead, Cell wouldn't have anyone who could challenge him. The remaining fighters on earth; including Juu; where peons compared to him. He could kill them all faster than they could blink.

_What to do now? This planet is so boring. Now that I've become perfect and defeated Gohan, there is nothing left for me to accomplish._ Then an idea came to him as he remembered Dr. Gero's records about the saiyans and the ones who had survived the destruction of their home planet. He also recalled that all of his meaningful strength originated in space. His eyes turned skyward as he began pondering the possibilities. _Hmmm…perhaps there are adventures and new, strong opponents waiting for me out there. Who knows…maybe someone up there can actually give me a better fight than Gohan._

Without bothering to look for Juu or get absolute proof that Gohan was dead, he took off for space, with not so much as a backwards glance. His planet of origin meant nothing to him now, there was nothing left for him here. Without anyone to challenge him, the universe would be his private playground. His first objective was to find the person he thought would be the strongest now that Gohan was dead; King Vegeta.

Juu watched from a perceivably safe distance as Cell ascended and eventually exited Earth's atmosphere. She could only hope that Gohan had somehow survived and that Cell didn't decide to blow up a planet he no longer had any use for.

However, her concern for Gohan outweighed any instinct against approaching the crater. She couldn't see any sign of him in the crater below, but that wasn't going to stop her from looking. Landing in the center of the crater, she scanned the area in an attempt to see any sign of his body.

She heard a groan, causing her ears to perk up. Hearing another groan, she locked onto its source; an overturned car. It had landed on him while he was being covered by debris, providing an air pocket in which is could survive being buried. Rushing over to it, she quickly tore it out of the ground, revealing his broken body. He was in terrible shape, but his body was intact and could be saved. He was unconscious and the groan had simply been gas escaping his throat.

She shook him lightly to see if he would wake up. "Gohan. Gohan!" He wouldn't stir, so she looked for a pulse, praying that she would find one. At first she couldn't sense one as she checked his neck, but then she felt it. It was faint, and she knew that he was in urgent need of medical attention.

She began digging through his uniform, praying that what she was looking for hadn't been broken. A relieved expression crossed her face as she pulled out a disk-like object. It was intact, and contained his space ship. Pressing the red button in the center, she threw it like a Frisbee. It slowly began expanding until it was the larger than a house. The egg-shaped vehicle contained a healing chamber where Juu knew she could keep Gohan.

Picking him up, she carried him into the ship and quickly located the healing chamber where she placed him, typing commands into the computer in order to start the healing process.

Once she was sure of his safety, she turned her attention to what her next course of action should be. She realized that there was nothing left for her on Earth. The Z-fighters would probably kill her on site. She had no allies here and Gohan wouldn't be healed for some time. The only place that came to mind was New Vegeta, and that was exactly where she now intended to go. Vegeta and the saiyans had recognized her as an ally; they would understand the situation and help her and Gohan find a way to defeat Cell. Right now, that was her only option, so she got to work firing up the ship an setting the coordinates that she had remembered Gohan telling her when he was giving her space ship lessons.

Within a few minutes, the ship began its rapid ascent, climbing high into the atmosphere.

* * *

Piccolo couldn't take his eyes off the sky. He had been staring at it ever since he had brought the others back to Capsule Corp. His injuries were now healed and the enormous power he had felt was far too much for him to ignore, even though it was now rapidly heading away from Earth.

"Hey Piccolo," said Trunks. "That was a really radical power that was hear a short while ago. Do you think it's the creature?"

"I do," replied Piccolo. "I also sensed another, significantly smaller, but still huge power level fighting it. I think that was…Gohan. He must've some how transformed into a super saiyan during the fight against the androids. But as strong as he was, he didn't have anywhere near as much power as that creature and now I can't sense him anymore."

"You don't think that he's dead do you?" asked Trunks. Even though he didn't like the way the Gohan of this universe acted, he couldn't help feeling concerned for him. After all, he was still fighting on behalf of the people and he was able to change the saiyans into good people.

Piccolo shook his head. "I just don't know. He could be hanging on by a thread…but I would never know. It's best to assume that he's dead. The chances of his survival are slim, though not impossible."

"Hey guys," said Tien, walking up to them with a serious expression. "So I take it that the androids are no more. That creature probably destroyed them or something, just like it did Gohan."

"Like I said about Gohan, we can't be sure Tien," replied Piccolo. "All I know is that it is now the most powerful force I have ever sensed. It was at the area where Gohan was likely fighting the androids. Now I can't sense Gohan, so the creature probably killed him, and judging by what I know about it, it would do the same to all three androids."

Tien clenched his fists as his face contorted with a combination of fear and frustration. "I can sense it leaving. It's heading away from the Earth…probably to terrorize space. It's probably passing the moon by now; yet it still feels as powerful as ever. I feel so useless and outclassed."

"As selfish as this sounds, it's not really our problem anymore unless it returns to Earth," said Piccolo. "Our priority should be helping the people of Earth, nothing else matters more. Once we've made sure the planet is safe, we can go after it and try to defeat it."

"You're right," replied Trunks. "We can't really fight it in space anyway." Then he noticed something exiting the Earth's atmosphere. "Is that a space ship?"

"It must be Gohan's," said Piccolo as he watched it fade from sight. "Maybe Gohan somehow survived and has been suppressing his power. "I can't tell though."

"It's kind of scary," said Tien. "There are all kinds of weirdoes that could sneak onto the Earth we wouldn't know it if they were concealing their powers. In a way, I'm glad that Earth doesn't have any dragonballs anymore. I don't think it would go well for us if someone snuck onto the planet and made a wish that puts everyone in jeopardy."

"We shouldn't think about that right now," said Piccolo. "Let's get going. We should get Yamcha and Chaotzu and head up to the lookout to see what kind of state the planet is in."

* * *

Juu felt had an uneasy feeling as she sat next to Gohan's sleeping form. The healing chamber ha saved his life and fixed up his wounds, but he was still in a coma. She had dressed him and moved him into, what she thought, was his room on the ship. Even though she knew that sitting by his side wasn't doing him any good, she felt compelled to do it. She was in love with him and didn't want to leave his side unless something urgently required her attention.

Lighting rubbing his forehead, she noted how vulnerable he looked at the moment. A tender smile formed as she brushed a few hairs away from his face. "Don't worry Gohan. It's my turn to protect you. I'll get you the help you need, and then we'll all beat Cell together."

Then a loud beeping sound caught her attention, alerting her to a problem. A sound like that only accompanied an important notice. Luckily, she could access the information from a small bedside laptop in the room. Turning it on, she accesses the alert folder and found that it was a distress signal. Clicking on it, her eyes widened as an image of Raditz appeared.

"_Hello Gohan! If you can hear me I have bad news for you! We've lost communication with New Vegeta, and Nail and I are now trapped on planet Cold! It's Cooler, Freeza's brother! He's retaken the planet and captured Glacer! Please come here and help us! Cooler's forces shouldn't be too much for you to handle! Don't go to planet Vegeta though! Something bad is happening there! I can't say more, now goodbye!"_

Juu was freaked out by this latest development. While she and Gohan were worrying about the androids and Cell on Earth, the universe had been thrown into chaos…or at the very least, Planet Cold and New Vegeta had. There was some sort of war going on the judging from the desperate look on Raditz' face, the enemy would be a challenge, even for her, especially since Planet Cold had genetic mutation technology. Juu shuddered at the memory of a mutant King Cold. The worst part was that on top of all this there was the unstoppable android, Cell, roaming around the galaxy.

She turned her eyes on Gohan, as if expecting him to have all the answers. "You'd probably know what to do Gohan." She sighed sadly, feeling pathetic all of a sudden. "I just don't know what to do. If Vegeta's in trouble, what could I possibly do to help? I'm not as strong as Vegeta."

She balled her fists tightly, closing her eyes as tears began flowing. _If I had let Piccolo kill Seventeen and Eighteen, Gohan would still be conscious. We could've defeated Cell together, and then he'd be here with me now. I'm such a fool!_

However, she knew that she had to act. Chances were that it would be easier to break into planet Cold and save Raditz and Nail than it would be to confront whatever was threatening New Vegeta. She began typing on the laptop, resetting the destination coordinates for planet Cold. She also put the ship into stealth mode so that the AI would know to make the landing as stealthy as possible.

* * *

Several Triceratons stood in front of a prison cell; it was on one of their many ships that had landed on New Vegeta. The cell, which was more heavily guarded than the others, housed the planet's namesake. The super saiyan had caused heavy casualties on the Triceratons part, but after two hours, they were able to overcome him with their superior machinery.

A shorter Triceraton, one with a darker colored frill and stockier build approached the cell. He had a triumphant grin on his face, making it seem as if he had been the one to defeat the saiyan king. His regal, brown robes, indicated the he was a royal, in fact, he was the Prime Leader, the highest-ranking Triceraton. His name was Zanramon, and one of the infamous Big Five that had begun taking over the galaxy.

"So you're the mighty king of all saiyans! You don't look so tough when you're all bound up like that!" The prime leader smirked proudly at his insult. "I wonder what all your people are thinking. They're probably disappointed...no, broken at the fact that their LEGENDARY super saiyan couldn't save them." He proceeded to laugh, and was soon joined by the guards.

Vegeta wanted nothing more than to turned super saiyan and show the prime leader what he was capable of, but his legs and arms were bound by a strange electric field that blocked his powers. He was hanging from the wall in a crucifix pose and there was a thin tube that had been attached to his naval, through which nutrients were supplied to keep him alive as long as the Triceratons wanted him to be.

Biting hard in an attempt to relieve some stress, Vegeta thought of his own verbal jab. "It's just too bad. You Triceratons value strength as much as we saiyans do, and yet your prime leader was too scared to step out onto the battlefield himself." Vegeta's characteristic smirk reappeared when he saw the Prime leader's laughter cease.

The Triceraton's face darkened into a scowl. His fists balled up, causing his guards to abruptly cease their laughter. He glared towards the smirking prince and spoke with venom. "Don't get cozy Vegeta! You're only alive as long as I want you to be! Get too cocky and I'll be forced to eliminate you!"

This didn't faze Vegeta; it only amused him. "Are you going to do it, or will it be one of your loyal soldiers. Last I checked, you weren't on the battlefield when the Triceratons took over this planet. You were probably hiding away in one of your ships while your men did all the work. At least I can take pride in the fact that I was on the front lines."

"That's enough," said one of the guards. "You have no right to speak to the prime leader that way!"

Vegeta laughed the comment off. "Now you've got your soldiers defending you verbally? What's wrong can't think of a good comeback? From the looks of things, you're all bark and no bite. In fact, I don't think you're even in charge of this operation. Someone else must be behind this, since I doubt you could come up with this kind of technology on your own."

Zanramon quickly hid his look of surprise and turned his back on the prince. "I'll be leaving now. You'd better behave yourself. My allies want you alive, but there won't be any trouble with them if I kill off all of your people. Be careful not to push me too far or they will pay the price."

Vegeta fell into silence as the prime leader left. He would never want to harm his own race after working so hard to build it back up. The saiyans had yet to reach their former numbers, and if they were struck down now, they would likely become extinct. Vegeta's thoughts then began making connections.

_Zanramon said that he had allies. Could those allies be responsible for our inability to reach planet Cold?_ Vegeta's thoughts then wandered to Raditz, who he had sent there to checks things out. He hoped that he wasn't a prisoner, though even so, there was still one hope left. _I'm sure Gohan can think of something…as long as something bad hasn't happened to him on Earth.

* * *

_

Juu hugged herself as she began thinking about what she would do once they reached planet Cold. Gohan was still unconscious and it had been three hours since she had taken him out of the healing chamber.

The situation was beginning to seem hopeless for her. There was no guarantee that Gohan would wake up, in which case, she doubted her own ability to help out against the new threat to the galaxy. If Gohan woke up, he would, at the very least, give her comfort. Her thoughts returned to Cell, that wretched doctor's ultimate creation. Even with Gohan around, Cell was unstoppable now. He was currently the most powerful being in the universe and could pretty much do whatever he wanted.

Letting out sigh, Juu decided to see how long she had until the ship reached planet Cold. Picking up the laptop from the bedside table, she turned it back on and checked the status of the trip. _Three days left…thank god! I have three days to wait for Gohan to wake up and contemplate what I'll do if he doesn't. _Satisfied that she had enough time on her hands, Juu shut down the laptop and placed it back on the bedside table.

Her thoughts returned to Gohan and the condition he was in. She knew he was alive and his condition was stable, but she had no idea how long the coma he was in would last. There was only one sure way she knew of to bring Gohan out of the coma, the Namekian dragonballs. However, she realized that whatever was affecting New Vegeta, and Planet Cold was likely affecting Namek as well. In all likelihood, Guru would have died by now and the dragonballs would be gone for good.

Juu suddenly felt vulnerable again. She wanted to curl up into a fetal position and feel warmth and comfort. Turning back to Gohan, she noted the strength he seemed to exude. His unconscious state simply made him into a sleeping giant. He wasn't active now, but one could never deny his immense power.

She slid beneath the covers next to him, and cuddled close, trying to feel as much of his warmth as possible. "Sorry if I'm taking advantage of you…but I don't feel safe anywhere else."

Her eyes shut as a smile came back to her face. It wasn't happy, but content. So what if Gohan wasn't conscious? She knew that he cared for her and that was enough to make her feel safe in his presence.

* * *

"Please hurry elder Mori!" A group of strong Namekians guided the elder out of the main tower that had once been occupied by the previous elder, Guru. They ran as far away from their former settlements as possible, seeking refuge in the planet's mountain ranges where they could remain in hiding for weeks if necessary.

The Namekians were in the middle of a mass retreat across their planet. Slug's forces were too powerful and the nameks had become outlaws on their own planet. They were now heading away from their former settlements and the fertile meadows they had once called home. Now they would live in the wilderness, hoping and praying for help to arrive.

When their greatest warrior, Nail, had left with the saiyan, Raditz, they had suspected something was wrong. Planet Cold was in trouble, and they had now lost connection with many of their allies, including the saiyans. They had to assume that the threat they were facing was occurring across the galaxy.

When they reached the caves, Mori turned to the other Nameks with a serious face. "I can only hope that our brethren have sought shelter as well. However, there is something else that concerns me. What happened to the dragonballs?"

"We have one here," said one of the warrior nameks. "We didn't have time to get the others, but this still means that Slug cannot use them."

Mori nodded in acknowledgement, his expression turning grim. The memory of Freeza was still clear in his mind. The galaxy's worst tyrant had nearly destroyed their planet, and what made Slug worse was the fact that he actually knew the Namekian language. They only had one ball and in the worst-case scenario, Slug would have the other six. If he got hold of the one they had, he could get his three wishes.

A few hours later, another namek arrived at their camp. He came to them on foot, suggesting that he was a messenger and scout from another group camped somewhere along the mountain. He seemed relieved when he found them. "Ah elder Mori. I'm happy that I've found you."

"What news do you have my child? Are the others all right?"

"They are. Dende, and over thirty of us made camp a few miles away in the direction that I came from. We can reach them in an hour's walk."

"Very good," replied elder Mori with a relieved smile. At least he knew that some of them had escaped.

* * *

I know that this isn't on my update priorities, but after the less than satisfying ending to 'Crossroads of Destiny', I thought the readers deserved this. Anyway, I don;t really plan on updating this too often since I'll be holding the chapters to a higher standard in terms of length. Once I've cleared all my update priorities, which you can view on my profile, I'll only have four stories to juggle around, which means that I'll probably be updating this on a monthly basis.

As far as the plot goes, Cell is now more of a wild card, even thought he's the most powerful being in this story. Also, the identities of the Big Five should be clear now. They're the leaders(not necessarily the strongest) of their respective factions.


	2. Rescue Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Piccolo and Mr. Popo search for Juu, peering into a jar filled with water that allowed them to see anything on Earth. It would normally be tedious to search for a single person, but both of them knew that Juu lacked a power level, and that helped them refine their search. Hours had passed and the search didn't turn anything up. Juu had apparently vanished off the face of the Earth.

"Any luck yet?" asked Trunks, walking into the room with a worried expression. The two in the room shook their heads in response. The hybrid let out a sigh as he sat in a nearby chair. "Tien and I surveyed the wreckage where the androids last attacked. There was a huge crater. It had to have been formed by a powerful attack, something the androids wouldn't normally do unless one of them self-destructed."

"It might be that thing that attacked us in West City," replied Piccolo. "I had a bad feeling about it, especially when I sensed it heading for Gohan, who had apparently become a super saiyan."

Trunks' eyes widened. "Gohan's become a super saiyan?" When Piccolo gave him an affirmative grunt, Trunks' inferiority complex resurfaced. His fists balled up as he realized how outclasses he was. _I was barely a match for Gohan in normal form. If he's a super saiyan, then there's no way I can beat him, which means I can't punish Juuhachigou if she does something wrong!_

"We've got worse things to worry about," said Mr. Popo, as if reading Trunks' mind. "That creature said it could get stronger by absorbing beings, and from what I gather, it didn't seem threatened by Gohan's super saiyan transformation. I also sensed a much higher power from it than I sensed from Gohan. It was over ten times stronger than he was, even as a super saiyan. Now that creature has probably left the Earth, which puts many other planets at risk."

"He's right," replied Piccolo. "Both the androids, and the creature are Earth's problem. That creature has our cells, so it would be partly our fault for letting it get away, or allowing someone to build it."

"It'll be tough tracking it down," replied Trunks. "It's one thing to find it on a planet, but another thing to find what planet it's on. We can't really sense power levels across the void of space."

"I think I know where it's headed," replied Piccolo. "That creature has saiyan DNA, so it would want to find the most challenging target, and after Gohan, the strongest warrior in the universe is Vegeta, so it would head towards New Vegeta."

"Could it find New Vegeta?" asked Trunks.

"We can assume that Dr. Gero knew a lot more about space than we gave him credit for. He knew about the super saiyan transformation because he sent a probe to follow us into space, and don't forget, this creature also has cells from Freeza and the Ginyu force, so we can only assume that it also knows about what went when we left Earth a second time."

"So we should go after her," said Trunks. "My mother should have the ship we used last time in good condition. We would be able to leave by tonight if I tell her what our plans are now."

"Alright," replied Piccolo as a small smile came to his face. "Don't tell her that you're her son though, because it would cause big problems. We'll be leaving a soon as possible, and try to head for New Vegeta. I'm sure that Juuhachigou was on Gohan's ship when it left Earth so we should be prepared to encounter her too."

"I'll be ready," replied Trunks seriously before leaving the lookout and heading to Capsule Corp. Mentally, he was ready and willing to leave. Though he hated to admit it, the thought of another outer space adventure sounded exciting to him, and he hoped that they could do more this time around. When he arrived at Capsule Corp. Yamcha was waiting for him outside.

"Hey Trunks," said the former bandit. "So what's the plan?" Yamcha seemed apprehensive, because he felt highly outclassed. He had sensed two immense power levels earlier, and knew that he wouldn't be able to stand up to either one.

"We're going into space," replied Trunk. "You should probably stay here though, to hold down the fort. We can't leave the planet defenseless." Trunks knew that Yamcha didn't want to go, and although he hated to admit it, his mother needed Yamcha around. Besides that, it was unlikely that any threat that Yamcha couldn't defeat would come to Earth.

Yamcha nodded seriously before turning around to go inside. "I'll tell Bulma then. That ship you used last time is in good condition. Are you planning on going tonight?"

"We are," replied Trunks. "Maybe you should stay behind though. The Earth will need some people to protect it when we're gone."

"I will," replied Yamcha with seriously, as he understood the gravity of the situation. "You can count on me, just don't get yourselves into too much trouble up there," added Yamcha with a joking smirk.

Trunks smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever comes our way. We're only going up there to find that androids anyway."

Later that night, all the Z-Fighters were gathered around the spaceship at Capsule Corp. where Bulma gave them a mini-tutorial about all its new features as well as making sure they still knew how to fly it. When it was all said and done, Piccolo, Trunks and Tien boarded the ship, while Yamcha and Chaotzu stayed behind.

Piccolo then picked up the sound of someone creeping around the bushes and smiled before saying out loud, "Goten! I know you're there so why don't you get on the ship? I think you're ready to join us."

The young saiyan hybrid emerged from the bushes with a sheepish grin. "I guess stealth wasn't my forte. So can I really come with you?" Goten hoped that he would run into Gohan in space again. He really wanted his brother back, especially since his father was dead. He knew that his grandfather would be taking care of his mother while he was away, and so he didn't need to worry about her.

As the ship left the Earth, those inside prepared themselves for an upcoming battle and mentally kissed the Earth goodbye, in case they never returned. Part of them felt excited, and the other part was either scared of uneasy. They all remembered the battle they had with Gohan and Juu and knew that the half saiyan would adamantly defend her if they tried anything. They had a tough mission ahead.

* * *

On New Vegeta, the Triceratons had set up camps throughout the ruins of the saiyan's old city. There weren't enough saiyans to colonize the entire planet, so they only needed one city. However, while the Triceratons only had one city to conquer, it was much easier for a few saiyans to hide out in the vast wilderness that was the remainder of the planet.

Fasha and Norcina, along with Norcina's daughter, Princess Celera, had escaped before the Triceratons could overrun the city. Vegeta had ordered Fasha to look after his wife and child while he and the others fought the Triceratons. The saiyan King had the foresight to not blindly assume victory and knew that in the worst-case scenario, there would still be a few saiyans left to fight another day.

As Celera slept peacefully, her mother and Fasha stared down at the nearby camp from the relative safety of New Vegeta's forest. It invaders didn't bother setting up tents, as all the amenities they needed were present on their vast space ships.

"There are too many of them for us," said Fasha, counting up all the foot soldiers on the ground. "They've also got those powerful mecha which were able to defeat your husband." She seemed frustrated at how helpless they were hanging out in the forest.

"If only we could get inside somehow," replied Norcina. "If we could find a way into the containment cells, we could free our people and take them by surprise." She knew it was wishful thinking on her part. "The trick is finding a way in there and then finding a way to set them all free."

"I believe I can help with that," came a voice from behind them. They could tell by how deep it was that it belonged to a Triceraton. The female saiyans turned around, only to come face to face with a Triceraton who wasn't in military attire. They could tell that he was a rebel, especially because he had an axe as a weapon as opposed to the standard issue laser gun. "Sorry for startling you. My name is Traximus. I am a rebel trying to overthrow the Prime Leader and restore the old Triceraton republic. I overheard your discussion and I can help you both get inside."

"Are you sure you can do it?" asked a skeptical Fasha. She was in doubt of whether or not he was trustworthy. The saiyans had been taken completely by surprise. They knew about the Triceratons, but never expected them to be so organized and Fasha didn't want to chance them having improved intelligence as well.

"I can disguise myself by taking one of the guard's uniforms. Zanramon has never been the brightest when it came to rebellions, so he wouldn't take any extra precautions against something like this."

"Why would you want to help us?" asked a skeptical Fasha. "You're a Triceratons. Wouldn't you benefit from being on the Prime Leader's side?"

Traximus shook his head as a sad expression crossed his face. "The Triceratons were once a proud race of powerful warriors. A democratic republic that always kept the people's best interests in mind ruled us. However, the Prime Leader, who was meant to only be a representative for the people and our country assumed total control." He sighed as he recalled the glory days. "Things went downhill for us. It's true the efficiency went up for our economy, but at the cost of our individual freedom. That's why I'll do what it takes to restore the old republic to its rightful place."

Fasha nodded as she took in his more subtle details. He didn't appear to be lying, though Triceratons were always a bit of a challenge to read. She didn't see any reason for him to betray them, and noted how passionate he was about restoring the old republic. "Fine then, we'll trust you. I hope this works."

* * *

Juu looked out the window as Planet Cold's atmosphere came ever closer. She knew that Raditz and Nail were down there, and that she would be on her own in rescuing them. Not knowing exactly what would be waiting for her made Juu somewhat anxious. It was true that most beings wouldn't be a match for her, but she clearly remembered how powerful King Cold had been after using the genomutation capsules to enhance his strength.

Turning away from the approaching view, she made her way back to Gohan's room, to get one last look at him before her upcoming mission. Staring down at his unconscious form, she stroked his cheek. "Well Gohan…it looks like I'll be going it alone this time."

Reluctantly leaving his room, she made her way to the main control room so as to guide the ship to a safe landing spot. She knew that it had to be hidden; Gohan was unconscious and helpless at the moment. The ship would be the safest place for him, and she couldn't put it away with his body inside. It had to be concealed so that the enemy wouldn't find it.

The ship's computer scanned the planet blow and found an area far away from the great cities. It was a mountainous desert with subzero temperatures. She could withstand those temperatures, and the ship's climate control would keep Gohan warm.

When she left the ship, she was dressed in dark jeans with a black sleeveless shirt and a black jacket to keep warm. Being a cyborg, she wouldn't need much insulation from the cold and the jacket was more of a comfort factor. Once outside, she sighed at the barren desert landscape, though a movement nearby caught her attentions. There was someone in the caves of a nearby plateau. Her keen senses could easily detect movement as someone watched her.

Walking up to the formation, she put her hands on her hips and looked it over. "I know there's someone in there, so why don't you come out. I'm not here to cause unnecessary harm." It wasn't as if she trusted the alien not to be against her, but she doubted that anyone loyal to Cooler would be hiding in caves.

Moments later, a few aliens, each bearing a striking resemblance to Freeza in his first form emerged. Despite their diminutive stature, they didn't have that annoying, bratty air about them that Freeza had. They weren't dressed in space armor, instead wearing fur coats made from wild animals skins, and boots made from natural materials. A saiyan would look barbaric in their in such clothes, yet the changelings always looked well kept.

The one in charge stepped forward. He wasn't afraid, yet he was cautious, and knew that Juu couldn't be from any nearby planet. "Greetings, my name is Tunder. Are you against Cooler?"

Juu raised an eyebrow, but quickly remembered who Cooler was. _Cooler's the one who took over this planet and captured Raditz! _ She nodded to them. "Yes…I came here to rescue my friends. They were captured by Cooler and are being held hostage."

The changelings looked at each other before turning back to her. Tunder motioned to her ship and asked, "Is that your ship?"

"No," replied Juu, shaking her head. "It belongs to one of my friends, Gohan. He's in there, but was rendered unconscious from a battle he had on Earth. We were escaping when I picked up Raditz' distress signal."

Tunder cupped his chin in thought as he began to recall important facts. "The capital city is two hundred miles from our current location. There was some commotion there a few days ago, and that's also were Cooler is keeping our leader, Glacer, captive. If we work together, we might be able to get them out though I doubt we'll have the power to defeat Cooler and his new powers."

"New powers?"

"Apparently he was almost killed by a super saiyan, but a scientists named Dr. Dread saved him and rebuilt him as a cyborg. He now has an army of powerful clones at his disposal. It will be much easier to get in, rescue Glacer and your friends, and then get out."

Juu nodded in agreement. She had no intention of staying for too long, and she didn't want to waste time getting bogged down in a political struggle on a single planet. It wasn't as if she didn't care but at the moment, Gohan was her priority and Cell was her biggest threat.

Juu, Tunder and several other changelings took off towards the capital city, keeping as low a profile as possible. She knew that that they knew the planet better than she did and that it would be to her advantage to follow their instructions. They had assured her that their comrades at the caves would guard Gohan's ship.

The city they approached was something Juu would never associate with the term capital. On Earth, as well as on planet Vegeta, the capital city was a bustling metropolis with a lot going on. People were out in the streets conducting business. It was an active, if not happy place.

Planet Cold's capital had been reduced to an area of fear. Cooler's forces were most concentrated here, and the people had to adhere to a strict curfew. Cooler had tightened his grip to a level even beyond what his father had done. There was limited trade going on, especially since Planet Cold lacked many of the trading partners it had when the Cold Empire controlled several hundred planets. A one proud metropolis was now like a ghost city.

The group landed on the outskirts of the city before Tunder found a sewer entrance. He then turned to another changeling in the group who pulled out a map of the sewer system. Tunder then turned to Juu. "We were planning on invading the maximum security prison to free our leader. These sewers are something Cooler never bothered to try and fix. He was never aware of the secret network that Glacer and I had built."

They walked into the sewers, causing Juu to pinch her nose at the stench, and Tunder then went over to a seemingly normal section of the wall. Juu's eyes widened when he knocked on it, revealing it to be hollow. Feeling around the area, Tunder eventually found a sliding panel, and revealed an underground network than ran parallel to the sewer system. This system was drier and mercifully cleaner, and Juu let out a sigh of relief when the panel was closed behind her and that awful stench disappeared.

Tunder and the one holding the map walked at up front, while Juu hung at the back of the group. Another changeling had used his ki to light the way for them. It was an hour before Tunder and the one next to him stopped and looked up. There was a ladder hanging down and what looked like a manhole at the top.

* * *

Sorry to say that I won't be able to update often with College going on. The good news is that I've already got the general outline for this story written down, so I won't have to spend time thinking up the general direction of the plot.


	3. Attack of the Drones

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu took a deep breath before climbing up the ladder and through the manhole. Tunder had already gone ahead, and there were a few other changelings behind her. When she reached the top, she noticed that they were in a secret room that was apparently behind a disguised wall. There was a small, one way looking hole through which one could keep on the lookout for guards before entering the base.

"We are in Cooler's prison," said Tunder. He looked through the small eyehole and saw that the coast was clear. Then he turned to everyone else. "This false wall can only be opened from this side. I'll need some of you to stay on this side and open it for us once we've rescued everyone."

"You can count on us," said one of a pair the stepped up to the task. "What if you're captured? What should we do then?"

"We'll come back in four hours at the most," replied Tunder before turning to Juu. "It'll be too risky to stay here longer than that." He then turned back to the pair. "In four hours, if we're not back, assume we've been captured and get out of here."

"You can count on us," they both replied as if they were soldiers in the military. Both saluted their leader as he nodded before checking again to make sure there weren't any guards.

When Tunder was satisfied, he opened the passageway and stepped out, followed by Juu, and the two other changelings they had with them. Once he heard the door shut behind them, the countdown had begun, and he felt the adrenalin pumping through him. All the halls were the same, metallic chrome color, almost impossible to navigate without a map.

Thinking quickly, he asked one of the other changelings to pull out the schematics of the base. The group of four huddled around the map as Tunder pointed to a control room. They would have to go there to find out where the hostages were being kept.

They ran through the hallways as quickly as they could, never assuming that they had the element of surprise. According to Tunder, the only surprise they had was the fact that they were able to infiltrate a maximum-security prisoner, from that point on, it was a smash and grab mission, a blitzkrieg.

They could hear the guards rushing through the hallways, as they rushed into the control room. Juu quickly dispatched two changelings at the main computer, while Tunder's men stood guard. Tunder assumed the main control chair.

Typing vigorously, Tunder searched the building until he found where Raditz, Nail and Glacer where. To his dismay, they were split up in three different parts of the building. He checked his watch and found that thirty minutes had passed. _We've got three hours and thirty minutes left_, thought Tunder before turning to Juu. "Glacer should be the most heavily guarded. Since you seem to be the strongest among us, I suggest you go there. I'll go after Nail, and my men can go a free Raditz."

"Sounds like a plan," replied Juu before rushing out of the control room. She knew where to go and the blaring alarm was only fueling her adrenalin. Firing a small ki blast, she blew open a door to find several changeling guards, ready for battle. They were big with bull-like horns, though not too strong.

Moving swiftly, Juu sent one of them crashing into the far wall with a palm thrust to the chest. Then, ducking under a wild haymaker from another one, she tripped him, before getting back up and knocking down another one with a small ki blast. She then elbowed another as he tried to get her from behind.

Now there were only three left. Two of them decided to double-team her, but were quickly knocked aside. The third, realizing his predicament, called for backup. Speaking into his wrist communicator, he said "Lord Cooler! We have a situation on sector 7-" Juu silence him with a palm thrust to his throat before moving on.

Thanking her superb cyborg memory, she made several turns along forking pathways before coming to a flight of stairs. She jumped down the steps, propelled by a sense of urgency before coming face to face with two large, and very angry looking guards.

Each guard resembled Freeza in his second form, but with the build of King Cold. Each carried a large, red, metallic spear, and was wearing standard issue space armor. Not bothering to talk, one rushed forward and took a stab at her.

Juu caught the end of the spear and pulled him in close before giving a sharp jab to the gut, doubling him over. Hearing an angry battle cry, she looked and sidestepped the next guard's thrust by a slim margin, thankful of the fact that it didn't cut her hair. She phased behind him and placed her palm behind his back before firing a small ki blast. The guard flew several feet before the blast exploded and he collapsed, on the cold metal floor, unconscious.

Resuming her current course, Juu eventually arrived at a jail cell with lasers, as opposed to metallic bars. Inside, Glacer was bound, with energy chains wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him in a crucifix position. There was also an apparatus linked to his midsections so he could relieve himself when necessary.

"Hey! Hey Glacer!" Juu saw him open his eyes, and blink twice before realizing that something was off. "Hang tight, I'm busting you out of here." She was about to try and blast through the bars when Glacer stopped her.

"Wait! Your attacks will only go through the bars and damage anyone inside which would defeat the purpose of you coming here. You should attack the area directly above the bars, that should deactivate them."

Juu nodded in response before pointing her finger a few inches above where the lasers emerged. A steady beam of ki cut through the metal and deactivated the lasers. Without a moment's notice, she entered the chamber and freed Glacer from the devices that bound him. "Your friend Tunder is here too. He's helping me rescue two others, Raditz and Nail."

Glacer nodded grimly, noting that the alarms were blaring around them. _This wasn't a very stealthy operation. Cooler and his drones are bound to show up._ "We'll have to work fast, Cooler has gotten stronger, and he's in league with several other powerful figures. The entire galaxy is under attack right now."

Juu took a deep breath before turning to leave. "I know where Raditz and Nail are being held. We should go help them." She dashed off without waiting for his response and soon they were both up the stairs and headed down the maze-like hallways towards two lower security cells.

* * *

Tunder burst through a closed door and blasted the five guards inside. After a quick scan of the area, he spotted Nail's cell. Like Glacer's, it had laser beam bars, but Nail was free to roam around.

The Namekian was surprised to see a Changeling burst into the hallway and blast his own kind. Maintaining a calm exterior, he walked up to the bars, eyeing the newcomer. "Who are you? Why would you attack your own people?"

"My name is Tunder, and I came here to bust you out. I'm part of a rebellion, so I'm not loyal to Cooler." Knowing what to do, Tunder extended his hand and blasted the wall directly above the laser bars. After the blocks collapsed, Nail rushed out of the jail cell.

"Where are we going?" asked the Namekian as they ran through the hallways, all of which seemed identical. "Do you know the way out?"

"I do," replied Tunder, "but my men are here rescuing your friends Raditz, and there's a woman here helping us rescue our leader, Glacer. I have to make sure we're all okay before we can make our escape."

"I'll do everything I can to help," replied Nail. As they turned another corner, they ran into several guards that were responding to a distress signal from the control room. Nail didn't give them enough time to mount an attack, as he dashed towards them, and punched one square in the jaw. He then spun around and roundhouse kicked another one, causing him to crash into one of his comrades and knocking them both out.

Tunder, not to be outdone, wacked a guard in the face with his tail before leaping over him and head butting the one behind him. The guards were completely off their game as he and Nail proceeded to take them all down a few at a time.

Once the encounter ended, Tunder led Nail down a flight stairs and through a door that his men had already busted through. By the time they got to the cell, all the guards had been knocked out, and Raditz was free, though unconscious.

"What happened to him?" asked a worried Nail. "Was he injured in a fight with the guards?"

"No," replied one of the men. "Cooler must have drugged him to keep his power in check. After the news of Freeza and Cold being defeated by saiyans, he must've become more cautious around them. We've got no choice, but to carry him out of here."

Tunder nodded in agreement. "We'll meet up with the woman and Glacer before leaving this place. We have to be out of here before-"

"I show up?" They all turned around and froze in place as Cooler, or at least one of his drones, stood there with a broad smirk. "You've been causing quite a commotion here. Did you really think I would only send a bunch of incompetent guards to deal with you?" He raised his finger, and fired a death beam at Tunder.

However, one of Tunder's men got in front of him and was hit in the chest, his body collapsing in front of him. Tunder was dismayed and stared down at his dying comrade with sadness and confusion. "Why?"

The rebel coughed up some blood before chocking out his final words. "You must live on. The others need you." Then he closed his eyes and his head fell to the side. The death beam had cauterized his chest wound, so there wasn't any profuse bleeding.

The Drone chuckled in amusement. "That's one worm down." He raised his finger again, pointing it at the group. "I wonder who I'll get this time." However, before he could do anything, a feminine hand shot through his chest. His eyes widened shortly before the figure behind him blasted his head causing his now headless body to collapse on the ground.

Juu was the culprit, as she and Glacer had arrived just in time. The cyborg smiled as she noted that all the hostages were free, though her and Glacer's eyes softened when they landed on their fallen comrade.

Glacer walked up to Tunder and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He was a great man and a loyal comrade, and I'm also said about loosing him. Come on old friend. We all have to leave now or his sacrifice would have been for nothing." Glacer's face was empathetic, yet firm, the mark of a true leader.

Tunder looked up at his leader and friend with a sad smile. "You're right as usual." He turned to the other rebel who nodded in response before picking up Raditz unconscious form. "I'll take us back to where we came from. There are two others waiting there."

As the group ran through the hallways, they noted that they weren't encountering any guards. While they counted it as a blessing, they could only assume that it meant that Cooler had arrived. The new king of the Changelings didn't like his minions getting in his way when he was about to fight.

Their worst fears were confirmed when they turned the corner to find three new cooler drones. Juu stepped forward to confront them, knowing full well that she was the only one among them that stood a chance. "Keep going! I'll follow!" As the group rushed by, the drones tried to stop them, but Juu knocked one down with a roundhouse kick before temporarily blinding another with a ki blast to the eyes. The third decided to focus his full attention on her as the other two recovered a few moments later.

It was a three on one battle and the drones were confident in their advantage. One of them rushed at Juu and tried to land a punch. As Juu dodged the attack, a second drone wacked her belly with his tail. The third drone phased behind her and was about to use his tail.

Juu regained control and put up an energy shield before elbowing the drone behind her, sending him staggering back. She leaned to the right as one drone in front of her fired a death beam, and the attack took out the one behind her, blowing its head off. Taking advantage of his disbelief, Juu rushed in and sent him into a nearby wall with a punch to the jaw and spun around to block a punch from the other drone with her forearm.

_They'll be waiting for me. I'd better finish this quickly_, thought Juu. Extending her hand, she fired a point bank ki blast at the drone's face, effectively knocking it out before rushing at the other one and killing it with a finger beam between the eyes.

However, before she could leave, another metallic figure emerged. This one, however, was not a drone, as he looked like Cooler in his final form. The new presence didn't seem threatened by the fact that Juu had just defeated three powerful drones.

"Who are you?" Juu was wary and nervous of him, as he loomed over her. The figure began laughing and she grew impatient. "Answer me! Who are you?"

"Well if you must know, I am the king of this planet, Cooler. I am one of the big five." He could easily see the shock written on her face. "They say that if you want something done right, you must do it yourself, so I decided to come down here and put an end to your little rescue mission"

Clenching her fists, Juu slid into a fighting stance. _If I defeat Cooler here then the conflict on this planet will be over._ She leapt forward and tried to roundhouse kick him. However, he tilted his head out of the way, evading the attack. Then, he landed a punch to her cheek, sending her crashing into a nearby wall.

"You're strong, but you can't beat me at that level." Cooler walked up to her, and picked her up by her jacket collar. "I can tell that you're a cyborg, and my systems can tell me exactly how strong you are. I'm afraid that that those infinite energy generators won't be able to help you out either, as mine are better."

Juu felt dizzy as Cooler threw her into another wall. She slapped her head to straighten out the fluids before opening her eyes and seeing Cooler approach her. Looking past him, she could see the hall that the others had gone down. _If I could get past him, I might able to get out of here. I'm not as strong as Cooler, but I have the advantage in speed._

As Cooler lunged at her again, Juu extended her finger to use a technique that she had learned from Gohan. She yelled "Flash Pulse" causing a blinding flash to erupt from her finger.

Cooler covered his eyes, as his cybernetic voice screeched, echoing throughout the halls. "My eyes! What have you done to my eyes?" He was too preoccupied with the pain to stop her as she dashed past him, and down the hallway towards the secret entrance. However, his cybernetic eyes were quick to adapt and within a minute, he had his vision back and the pain was gone.

Juu arrived at the wall, and saw the rebels, Nail, and an unconscious Raditz waiting for her. "What took you?" asked Glacer, as Tunder told the men on the other side to open the door.

"Cooler is here! He was too strong for me! I temporarily blinded, but we have to leave right now!" When she finished that sentence, they could here his footsteps as the metallic being approached heir hallway. The group quickly crossed the threshold into the secret chamber, and closed the door, making it as if they were there.

When Cooler rounded the corner, all he saw was an empty hallway and a dead end. His anger and frustration built up, as he clenched his fists, and let loose a cybernetic roar. "Damn it!"

On the other side of the threshold, the group hadn't taken any chances and was already in the network of underground passages. Moments later, they arrived at the sewage exit through which they had entered the city. Once outside, they made for the desert mountains where the rebel based was located.

Upon arrival, the people at the base surrounded Glacer, and Tunder. Some asked why one of them was missing, and Tunder's response elicited a brief mourning period. However, they all knew that there were things to do; they could mourn the dead after the war.

Juu rushed over to Gohan's unconscious form. The healers who surrounded him hadn't had any luck with him so far. "Is he going to be okay?"

One of them shook his head. "Our healing powers aren't strong enough. He is in a stable condition, but a saiyan can only go for two weeks at most before his body's lack of nutrients starts causing problems. You should take him to planet Namek. The Namekian's have far better healers there."

Juu nodded in response. "Alright, I'll take him to Namek."

"I'll come too," said Nail as he approached the group. "I am anxious about what is happening to my people. It would be best if I joined you."

"I agree," replied Juu as she turned back to look at Gohan's unconscious form. "We should also bring Raditz and get him healed there. Maybe we'll stand a better chance against any threat there than we would here."

Tunder, who had overheard the conversation, turned to his friend Glacer. "You should go with them Glacer, they'll need a powerful warrior like you to help them."

Glacer was unsure about leaving his people behind in what was now a hostile planet for them. It made him feel like a coward. "What about our people here? Won't they need me as well?"

"We'll be able to handle ourselves without you. However, that man lying over there is probably the best chance this universe has for survival." Tunder pointed to Gohan. "He must make it to Namek, and for that to happen, they will need you with them."

Glacer nodded before giving is friend a sad smile. "Take care, and stay out of trouble. I don't want to come back and find you dead."

"You can count on me Glacer," replied Tunder. "I'll do you proud."

An hour later, Gohan's ship was fully stocked, with Gohan and Raditz both lying safely in different rooms. Nail and Glacer were both at the control, while Juu was checking the outside to make sure it hadn't been damaged. When she came back inside, she told them everything was ready, and Nail fired up the engines. The ship blasted off towards planet Namek and the occupants hoped that the Namekian healers had survived and could help them revive Gohan and Raditz.

However, for Juu, the Namekians reminded her of another threat, Cell. She had no idea where the green monster could be or what he could've done so far. All she knew was that he was out there, and that he didn't know Gohan had survived. She vividly remembered the tremendous power he displayed and how Gohan's super saiyan form had been helpless against him.

* * *

On New Vegeta, Fasha looked like she was in chains, as a disguised Traximus escorted her aboard a Triceraton prison ship. After hacking into the system with his microcomputer, Traximus found out that this was where they were keeping Vegeta, Nappa, and all of the strongest saiyans.

In the nearby forest, Norcina watched with hitched breath as they successfully infiltrated the ship. All she could do now was hope that their plan worked. She missed Vegeta and felt that he had been unfairly defeated. While the Saiyan King had fought bravely on the front lines, the Triceraton's Prime Leader was tucked safely away in their flagship at the back of the fleet.

Norcina had heard stories about the Triceratons from her parents. Apparently, they had been warriors of comparable physical prowess to the saiyan, though they lacked an affinity for ki, which saiyans possessed. She knew that they weren't one's to practice deception, and could therefore, wouldn't suspect Traximus. However, she couldn't shake the fact that there was something bigger behind them. The mecha they had used to fight Vegeta looked too advanced for anything they could have come up with.

It was apparent that there was another force at work in the universe. Whoever, this mastermind was, it had managed to unite several powerful nations under one cause, and given them the technology to win. Norcina was well aware of the trouble on Planet Cold, though it scared her how little she knew of the situation.

Looking over at her sleeping daughter, she stroked the child's hair. "Sleep well sweet Celera. Your father will be here soon." However, her attention turned skyward as she sensed an enormous power approaching. She had no idea who it was, but it dwarfed her husband's, and she couldn't recognize it. The being was still some distance off, but it was closing fast and would enter the atmosphere in no more than two hours.

* * *

I hope you like this chapter. The paragraphs at the end might seem boring, but I want to put over Dr. Dread, the mastermind behind this war.


	4. Namekian Liberation

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

The Triceraton camp was in chaos as blasts rocked several of the ships. Saiyans were on the loose, and they weren't too happy about their initial defeat. Traximus and Fasha had succeeded in freeing several powerful saiyans, who then proceeded to raise hell for the surprised Triceratons by destroying several mecha. Most of the Triceraton fleet was destroyed, though the survivors were mounting a strong defense around their last surviving ship, the one belonging to the prime leader.

Amidst the chaos, Traximus made his way through the halls of one battered prison ship towards Vegeta's holding cell. Upon reaching there, he saw three other Triceratons guarding it. They weren't fooling around as they maintained a rigid guard stance as per their leader's orders.

Narrowing his eyes, Traximus gauged their strength. He was one of the few Triceratons who could control their ki without the use of technology. _They're not very strong by comparison,_ thought Traximus. _I can take them._

One of the guards turned around just in time to get knocked out by a punch. The other two turned and pointed their guns at Traximus who grinned triumphantly at them. He raised his axe, daring them to attack. When they began firing, the twirled his axe in his fingers, blocking their laser blasts, and slowly advancing on them. Soon he was within striking distance and abruptly ducked before bringing his axe up and lodging it in one of the guards' lasers. Then he threw guard over his shoulder, freeing his axe in the process before phasing behind the last guard and knocking him out with a knife hand to the back of the neck.

With the guards knocked out he approached Vegeta's cell. The saiyan King had become alert to the commotion and was now eyeing him cautiously. "Who are you?" asked Vegeta. "Why did you attack your own people?"

"My name is Traximus, and I am a Triceraton rebel. I have long disagreed with what the prime leader Zanramon was up to and I've helped several saiyans escape. I've come here to free you?" With that said, Traximus used his axe to slice through the bars of Vegeta's cell before going inside and freeing him from the apparatus that bound him. "You're people are causing quite a commotion. They caught Zanramon's forces off guard and have destroyed all of his mecha."

Vegeta grinned sadistically and chuckled, as he turned super saiyan. "Thanks for your help Traximus. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll help you remove Zanramon from power." He then burst through the ceiling before searching for the prime leader.

* * *

Juu felt like watching over Gohan, but she didn't feel like doing so when there were others on the ship due to the lack of privacy. So she had settled on sitting in the control room, looking at various monitors to make sure their journey went smoothly. At least here she would be the first to know if something went wrong in Gohan's room.

They had been travelling for a few days now, and Juu was anxious about when they would arrive. She wanted Gohan to be awake again, and the thought of running into Cell in the void of space with no place to run and when Gohan was unable to fight back terrified her. Even though he had his butt kicked when he fought Cell on Earth, Juu knew that Gohan had the potential to defeat Cell, if not play a major role in Cell's defeat.

Tapping a few buttons on the monitor, she caused a flight map to appear, showing that they were about five hours away from Planet Namek. Hearing the sliding doors opening behind her, she turned and saw Nail striding forward. He gave her a concerned, but understanding smile.

"I know you're worried about him," said the Namekian. "But you have to take care of yourself as well. You should get some rest; I'll watch the monitors from now on." Turning to look at the flight map, he said, "five hours isn't that long. Don't worry, we'll be down soon, but even if you don't tire physically, you mind probably needs some rest."

Juu was reluctant to leave, but nodded anyway. Nail's argument made sense, and the situation was putting a mental strain on her. "Thank you Nail," she said before heading towards her room, which was now thankfully across from Gohan's. Resisting the urge to go into Gohan's room first, Juu opened the door to her room and almost fell onto the bed.

With a sigh, she stared up at the ceiling. Even though her mind felt too drain to think, she didn't feel the sense of drowsiness that usually preceded sleep. She wouldn't be nodding off anytime soon. So she lay awake in bed, not even bothering to get beneath the covers. Allowing her mind to go blank, she lost track of time, and before she knew it, the loudspeaker announced that they were entering the atmosphere. As the turbulence began rocking the ship lightly, she guessed this was how it might have felt the same, as sitting on a landing plane would've.

When the rumbling stopped, Nail announced that they had landed, and Juu rolled out of bed, landing gracefully on her feet like a ninja before going to check on Gohan to make sure he was okay. After confirming that the landing hadn't disturbed him, she moved on to check on Raditz while Glacer and Nail got their bearings. With her tasks accomplished, she went to the control room to meet her two alien companions who were currently surveying their surroundings on the ship's monitors.

"No…" Nail's eyes widened as he stared, slack-jawed at the image of the destroyed village before them. "The big five have been here…" Clenching his fists tightly, he got a grip on his emotions, knowing that being emotional would hinder his reasoning. "We have to make sure the elder Mori and Dende are still alive and in good health. Without the elder, the dragonballs would have disappeared and there would be no chance of repairing the damage done by the big five, and without Dende, I doubt Gohan or Raditz will be waking up anytime soon."

"I agree," replied Glacer as he activated the ship's onboard scouter. Its range was limited to 1,000 miles, but it was a start since Nail was the only person among them who could detect power levels with any proficiency. "The scouter is picking up around ten power levels several miles east of here. Eight of them are below 2,000…they must be weaker village Namekians. Another one is at 5,000, and I'll bet it's either an attacker or a warrior Namekian. The last one, which is most worrying of all, is at 30,000. If it's an enemy, then the villagers don't stand a chance."

"I'll deal with it," said Juu as she cracked her knuckles. Even if they're all enemies I'll be able to take them, and the Big Five's forces won't be able to detect my power level." The other two nodded in agreement. "You two stay on guard here and keep on the lookout." Juu found a scouter and place it on her ear. "I'll use this to communicate with you. Tell me if something happens." With nothing left to say, she disembarked the space ship and flew east towards the supposed Namekian village.

Being a cyborg allowed her to fly at high speed while still evading detection, and Juu was able to reach the besieged villagers in a few minutes. Just as Glacer had predicted, there were 8 weak looking villagers huddled together while the stronger warrior was struggling against an assailant, which looked a brown-skinned gargoyle that was a cross between Dodoria and Symbol (one of King Piccolo's henchmen). It was definitely akin to the demonic beings King Piccolo had birthed before his demise at Goku's hands.

The being didn't notice Juu's arrival and continued its assault on the villagers. The warrior Namek shakily stood his ground, but the being rushed at him at near supersonic speeds before ramming its fist into his gut. The warrior doubled over in pain, but before the being could deliver the finishing blow, Juu swooped in and sent it into one of the village huts causing it to collapse around her target.

The being emerged from the rubble and shot Juu and angry death glare. "Who are you? I didn't sense anyone else around here."

Crossing her arms, Juu raised an eyebrow, trying to hide an arrogant smirk. This guy thinks he's so tough. "My name is Juuhachigou, and I've come here to help save the Namekians." If felt strange to here the villagers cheering in response to her comment. "Alright, then, I've giving my name, now give me yours. I'd like to know the name of whom I'm about to beat."

"My name is Dorodabo, and don't think you'll beat me!" Dorodabo tried to punch Juu, but the cyborg seemed to vanish before his eyes. Having lost track of her, the demon looked around frantically, vainly hoping to catch a glimpse of her. However, after a few minutes of this he felt excruciating pain shoot through him from his abdomen and looked down to see his own purple blood coating Juu's hand.

Juu withdrew her hand from her opponent, causing him to fall to the ground and die instantly. Staring at her blood encrusted arm with mild disgust, she created a small ki ball in her other hand and ran it over the blood, causing it to burn away, leaving her arm and sleeve intact.

The warrior Namek broke out of his awe before stumbling over to her. "I'd like to thank you for saving my village," he said as he began regenerating. He looked utterly exhausted. "We truly are in your debt."

"It's nothing, really," replied Juu. "I came here to save this planet, and I'm not alone. There are two others with me, including a Namekian named Nail." She saw the Namek's face brighten at hearing Nail's name. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine."

"Thank you," said one of the villagers. Unlike most of the other Namekians, he had wrinkling skin, indicating that he was the elder of this village. If you have Nail with you, then you must be trustworthy. You should know that there are three other large power levels on this planet. Our warriors were able to eliminate all of the low ranking foot soldiers, but these four have powers far surpassing any of our normal warriors. Their leader, is a Namekian named Slug, and he is the most dangerous of all."

Juu nodded in response. "Thank you for the information. Will you all be able to manage on your own?" The elder nodded affirmatively. "Then I'll be moving on to the next village. Take care." She rose into the air before heading back towards the space ship.

Before she reached the ship, she received a communication from Nail. "I heard everything the elder told you," said the Namekian. "I can sense the other three power levels, the biggest one is off in the mountains. It must be slug. Why don't you go check it out? Glacer and I will handle the other two."

"Alright," replied Juu. "But I want you to get Gohan and Raditz to this Namekian village first so that the locals can watch over them. I'll head towards Slug now." She heard Nail say 'yes' before the communication ended. Using her scouter, she quickly pinpointed the largest power level (which was around 3,000,000), and change direction to head towards it.

Flying at full speed, or at least as fast as she could without using up her energy faster than it was replenished, it didn't take Juu long to reach a small mountain range. After a brief scan of the area, she caught site of a rockslide occurring on one of the mountains. It didn't look natural, which probably meant that there was a commotion there. Since she was many times stronger than Slug, Juu didn't bother trying to be stealthy and dove down into the fray.

The large green Namekian who was currently punching mountain turned around when his highly turned ears picked up the sound of someone approaching. He turned just in time to look into the soul of Juu's shoe as it slammed into his face, sending him flying back into the mountain, burying him in the rockslide he had caused. She could've killed him with that one blow, but decided to leave him alive to find out if he really was Slug, as well as why he was demolishing the mountainside. Juu had a feeling that he might've been attacking someone who had been taking refuge in the mountain, in which case she had to find out from him since she couldn't sense them.

* * *

Nail and Glacer approached the Namekian settlement, carrying Gohan and Raditz with them. The locals immediately recognized Nail, and they quickly brought the two unconscious saiyans to one of the few intact huts. Nail quickly sensed two power levels approaching them.

"They're coming," he said to Glacer ominously. "Lord Slug's other men will be here soon. I'm sure Juuhachigou is taking care of Slug himself. We should probably try and meet them a little ways away from here so that the villagers don't get caught in the crossfire.

"I agree," replied Glacer as he rose into the air. "My power level is only around 115,000. It might not be able to handle them if they're maximum is much higher. I've heard that Namekians are very good at concealing their power levels."

"We are," replied Nail as they began flying towards the two approaching power levels. "But I doubt they'd be too strong. We our scouters detected them; they were probably in the middle of flexing their muscles. They would lack the same restraints normal Namekians have. It was an attitude like that which caused Guru, our previous Namekian elder, to exile him a long time ago."

Glacer nodded somberly. "So it appears that the big five are composed entirely of those who hate their own people and want revenge for being thrown out." However, before he could say anymore, they stopped midair and stood their ground, as two oncoming powers appeared a few feet away from them.

One of them looked like a short green Namekian whose face had been twisted into that of a large-eyed frog; He was undoubtedly another of Slug's demon spawns. The other, however, bore a greater resemblance to Freeza's right hand man, Zarbon. He looked muscular and had orange hair, and wore a teal blue gi. However, what revealed him to be a member of Slug's tribe was his two demonic horns and pointed Namekian ears.

The humanoid one, who was obviously the leader of the two, approached Nail and Glacer with an icy glare. "Are you the ones who eliminated Dorodabo?"

Glacer, being stronger than Nail decided to face off against the stronger alien. "It wasn't us, but that's besides the point. We'll be you're opponents now. Who are you both anyway?"

Briefly straightening his hair, the humanoid alien replied, "My name is Anglia, and this is Medamatcha." An evil chuckle escaped his lips as he cracked his knuckles, spoiling for a fight. "I'm afraid your little crusade to stop our master from getting his revenge will end here." However before he could react to anything, Glacer had phased in front of him and sent him flying into a nearby plateau. Anglia's companion, and Nail were both shocked, at the move. Those claiming the moral high ground rarely struck first. Medamatcha tried to retaliate, but Nail barred his way.

"It's always best to make the first move," said Glacer as if addressing Nail's concern. "These two have proven they are a threat to peace. Showing mercy or waiting for them to attack won't help anything." Anglia emerged from the rubble, shaking, and bedraggled, but fueled by rage.

As Anglia charge towards him, Glacer's eyes began to glow. Anglia dodged the two eyebeams and stretched his right arm to inhuman lengths to try and grab him. However, Glacer caught hold of the outstretched arm and pulled Anglia towards him before impaling the alien on his horns. Then after removing him, he sent Anglia back to the ground with a chop to the head. However, Anglia quickly regenerated and rose back into the air. While his body was undamaged, regenerating had clearly fatigued him.

Meanwhile, Medamatcha was trying his hardest to land a blow on Nail, but the warrior Namek proved too fast for him to even land a single blow. Nail was easily able to land two punches for every one punch Medamatcha almost landed. Then, by landing a solid elbow to crown of his opponent's head, Nail sent Medamatcha into the ground. Being familiar with his people's healing ability, Nail knew not to give his opponent a chance to recuperate. Like Glacer said, they couldn't gain anything from showing mercy.

Nail stretched his arm out and grabbed Medamatcha before reeling him in and bashing his face in with a knee to the face. Then he threw Medamatcha to the ground and landed behind him before spinning around and obliterating him with a one-armed blast at point blank range.

Seeing that his teammate had fallen, Anglia became desperate. He had pumped his power to its absolute limit and was temporarily able to hold his own against Glacer. However, with fatigue setting in, and the fact that it was now two against one, Anglia was running out of options. He landed and looked up at Glacer who loomed over him as a seemingly unstoppable foe. Gathering his energy, he channeled it into one final blast; however, he pretended that he was about to make a last desperate charge.

"So it all comes down to a final charge," said Glacer in a somber tone. "As you wish," he said, as he got ready to ram Anglia with his horns. He charged at him full speed, and at first it appeared that Anglia was obliging, but then he suddenly stopped before thrusting his arm forward and letting loose a powerful ki blast. Caught off guard, Glacer crossed his arms and tried to withstand the surprisingly powerful blast.

Nail stared wide-eyed as the blast engulfed Glacer. Then he looked at Anglia who had a proud, and triumphant look on his face. Moments later, Nail sensed his power level crash and Anglia quickly fell, dying before his face hit the ground. Then the smoke cleared from the blast, to reveal Glacer, who was showing signs of damage, but otherwise unharmed. "He almost got you," said Nail in a relieved tone. "But he used up all his energy for nothing. That's three down, and Juuhachigou should be dealing with Slug." Glacer simply replied with a nod.

* * *

Slug emerged from the rubble and growled angrily. "That was a very sneaky move," he said, glaring up at Juu. However, in his head, he was shaking with slight fear. _I…I can't believe a little girl was able to sneak up on me and damage me this much._ Smiling with bravado, he began powering up, and growing larger as he did so. The move was taxing, but the payoff gave him his only chance for defeating her. He wasn't one to get deluded into thinking that her surprise attack was merely a fluke.

Raising an eyebrow, in recognition to what was going on, Juu decided to ask the obvious question. "I assume you're Lord Slug?" He growled angrily, attempting to intimidate her with his size, which off course was utterly ineffective. Juu decided to taunt him further, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that properly."

Slug's pride was now heavily dented already, and to not have his increased size and strength taken seriously sent him over the edge, he responded to it with more anger. "OF COURSE I'M LORD SLUG!"

Juu crossed her arms and raised an amused eyebrow, still unfazed by Slug's anger. "And why were you demolishing this mountain? Is there something here you've been looking for?" Instead of having her question answered, her question only served to provoke an attack. _Guess he's not in an answering mood; I'll just kill him then._

Slug's fist landed where Juu once stood, but he soon realized that he had missed. She was nowhere to be found. He looked around frantically until he heard a voice say 'behind you.' Slug immediately spun around and fired an eye laser, which Juu easily blocked with her energy shield. The angry Slug then tried to land another physical blow, but it was like a slow human tried to catch a speed fly with his bare hands.

After letting Slug flail around in the air in a futile attempt to catch her, Juu decided to switch to the offensive. While it would've normally been amusing to let this drag on further, she knew that Gohan was unconscious and vulnerable right now, and she needed Dende to heal him. When Slug tried to hit her with another oversized punch, she blocked the attack, holding it a back with her hand, and showcasing her superior strength to the now frustrated Slug. "It's been fun, but I do have a schedule to keep, she said nonchalantly. "I'm afraid that you'll have to die now."

Slug's anxiety reached an unprecedented level when he saw Juu gathering ki in her free hand. With nothing left to lose, and a mixture of anger, fear, frustration, and shame coursing through him, Slug decided to meet her head on. "I won't be killed so easily, especially not by some little girl. I am the super Namekian lord Slug! I am one of the mighty Big Five, and I will grind you into dust with my superior might!" His only response was mocking laughter as Juu's ball of ki grew even larger. With a mighty yell, Slug let loose a powerful mouth blast with enough force to destroy the planet. If this attack failed, it would be over for him.

Juu's laughter grew louder as she sent her ball of ki sailing toward Slug. She reveled in his horror as her smaller, but more powerful attack overwhelmed his before engulfing him in a bright white flash of energy. When she saw Slug's dead body collapse onto the mountain side, Juu's satisfaction took her back to the days when was once terrorized millions. However, such thoughts could not last. Juu quickly slapped herself, breaking out of that nostalgic bloodlust. She refused to regress back to that stage in her life; she was a changed woman, and now it was her duty to help that man that changed her.

Without wasting another moment, she contacted Nail and Glacer and updated them on the situation. Off course, Nail, and the other Namekians of the village they were staying in had sensed the battle. Before she terminated the communication, Nail told her that the elder of their village had received a telepathic communication from elder Mori, who was supposedly in the mountainous area where she had battle Slug. It didn't take her long to figure out why Slug had been so intent on demolishing the mountains.

Since she they would have sensed Slug's death, Juu reasoned that the elder, and Dende would have less reason to hide, though it was best that she made her intentions clear. She began flying over the mountains, calling out to them. If she had bothered trying to learn how to sense power levels properly, she could've easily sensed them; they could call her by simply raising their levels. However, a few minutes into her search, she stopped and cursed her own stupidity. She still had the scouter, and could use it to sense where they were. Luckily, she had an affinity for modern technology, and after punching in the commanded, the scouter beeped, indicating two power levels several miles away within the mountain range.

As se flew closer, the image on the scouter grew larger, and began to beep rapidly. Then she heard someone call out to her from below. "We're down here!" She looked down and saw an elderly namek, whom she took to be the elder Mori, alongside another that looked like a younger version of Piccolo and Nail, as well as several middle-aged Namekians who all looked worn out, but still in good healthy. When Juu landed among the group, she was surrounded and bombarded by praises and gratitude.

The elder Mori stood by and let his younger brethren express their gratitude before stepping forward and extending his hand, which Juu immediately shook. "We are grateful for what you've done, and thank you for rescuing Nail from Planet Cold. My fellow elder, Cargos from the village you saved a short while ago, told me everything that happened through telepathy."

"I see, then do you know that we need the help of a healer?" The elder nodded before calling Dende forward. "Alright then. I guess you'll all be coming with me back to the village. I think it's best that you all stay together and regroup."

"That's very kind of you," replied the elder, as he and the other Namekians smiled confidently at her. "But I'm afraid that our responsibility is to help the planet as a whole recover, and for that we'll have to spread out. Do not worry; we'll be fine. Just take Dende with you. He should be able to heal your friends." Even if they weren't overly tough like Piccolo, Juu had to admit that the Namekians, while weak compared to her, still showed incredible strength considering what they had gone through.

After thanking the elder, she and Dende departed for the village where Nail, and Glacer were waiting. As they flew Dende turned to her with a concerned look. Being young, he lacked the calm, and wise air of many of the older Namekians she had just seen. He was very worried about the recent events that had unfolded.

"Before you found us, the elder said that Nail and the saiyan Raditz had been captured on planet Cold. We also tried contacting planet New Vegeta, but no one there was responding, only to be invaded a short time later. What is going on in the universe?"

"I can't say I'm an expert on it," replied Juu solemnly. "However, I do know that there's this group called the Big Five…we'll they're probably the big four now that I've eliminated Slug, but they're still very strong, and they've started this war across the Galaxy. I'm assuming that New Vegeta was probably attacked as well."

"That's terrible," replied Dende. He hadn't experienced a real sense of danger like this since Freeza, and that crisis was staring to seem quite remote, in fact he could barely imagine living in a world with Guru, even if his memories were still quite fresh. He remained silent for the rest of the flight, not having anything to say.

When they arrived at the village, Juu promptly led Dende to a hut where the Namekians had laid Gohan and Raditz on soft beds made out of hay. After looking at Nail and giving him a brief and happy nod, Dende turned back to his two patients with a serious expression. "Alright, I'll start with Raditz. He should be easier to heal." Before Juu could ask why, he added, "Gohan doesn't appear to immediately need healing. He can wait, and I'll probably need a lot more power to heal him." Placing his hands on Raditz, Dende began his healing.

* * *

Sorry for not updating sooner, but for this story I generally try to make the chapters longer than in my other stories, which generally means slower updates. Also, I hope this chapter didn't feel rushed. I tried not to go into too much detail. Also, did it seem a bit early to eliminate one of the big five?


	5. A Change of Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

The mysterious figure sat in a sort of control room. His seat was like a throne, but with various buttons and joysticks on the wide armrests, allowing him to manipulate the information on the monitors in front of him. The image of a lizard man on the main screen was the only thing illuminating the room, and he preferred it that way. "So Slug has been defeated?"

"Yes Dr. Dread," replied the Lizard man. "We also received a distress call from New Vegeta. It appears that Zanramon's forces had a brief victory, but the battle has shifted out of their favor as well, and Lord Cooler reported the appearance of a strange alien on his home planet, it was a female and she was able to escape along with all of the prisoners he had captured."

Tapping a bony fingernail on his chin, Dr. Dread maintained a calm façade. It appears that it would be more difficult than we initially thought. "The resistance fighters were no doubt instrumental in this, but now that they have played their hand, we are free to recalculate their strength and take back control," he said authoritatively to the soldier. "Get me Paragus, I'll have to discuss our next move with him."

"Right away sir," replied the Lizard man with a salute. The image on the screen turned to gray waves of static for a few seconds before Paragus' face appeared onscreen. The bags under his eye indicated a lack of sleep; even saiyans needed their rest. He seemed almost relieved to see Dr. Dread.

"I take it that you're aware of what's been going on," Dread said. Paragus nodded in response, maintaining a serious expression. "I think it's about time your son joined the battle. I know we were saving him in case Gohan returned to space, but things have changed. We mainly need him to restrain Vegeta, and deal with the gang of rogues that escaped Planet Cold and defeated lord Slug."

The saiyan nodded in response. "What about Gohan? Is there any confirmation of his fate?" Dread shook his head negatively, causing Paragus to rub his bearded chin with uncertainty. "It would be risky to reveal all the cards in our hand so soon in the conflict, but I supposed there's no choice. When should Broly be ready?"

"As soon as possible," replied Dread, sitting back in his chair, making his face more obscure to Paragus. "We also need to make sure Zanramon can make it safely off the planet. We'll need the Triceraton's support to re-conquer Namek, and Zanramon is our key to controlling them."

"Understood," replied Paragus, and with that the conversation ended.

* * *

Raditz felt as if his bones were made of lead, which would normally not be a problem, but with his power drained he could barely lift his body. However, as he came ever closer to awakening, his strength began returning to him, and the source appeared to be something on his abdomen. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he saw a little green Namekian leaning over him, with his hands on Raditz abdomen, a green glow emanating from them.

"Just relax," said Dende, sensing his patient was now awake. "You'll be back at full strength soon."

Taking a deep breathe, Raditz relaxed his muscles before closing his eyes, though he had no intention of going to sleep. Soon he felt strong enough speak without running out of breath. "What's going on? Am I back on Namek?"

"You were brought here by Nail, Glacer, and the cyborg called Juu. You had been captured by Cooler, and then rescued." Dende removed his hands from Raditz, indicating that he had finished healing. "We'll explain everything that's been going on shortly, but now I must tend to your nephew. He was in the same state that you were in."

Upon hearing about his nephew, Raditz sat up and looked around, and his eyes soon landed on Gohan who was lying unconscious with Juu watching over him. He couldn't help smiling for a moment at the scene, though it quickly gave way to the implications of the situation. _Someone was strong enough to put Gohan out of action. Who? Vegeta's the only one with the power to defeat him…what happened on Earth?_

Dende promptly moved to healing Gohan. Juu stepped back to give him space, but didn't stray too far. However as the minutes went by, it became apparent that Gohan's case was different from his uncle's. Dende began sweating after the first five minutes and after ten, gave up entirely.

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding more overwhelmed than ashamed. "Not only is he very powerful but the damage he suffered makes it impossible for me to wake him up. He'll be fine in the long run, but he'll be unconscious for a while. Whatever knocked him out must've been in a class by itself." He turned to Juu with a concerned expression. "What exactly happened on Earth? I didn't know Gohan on a personal level, but it's common knowledge that he's second only to Vegeta in strength, who could possibly have knocked him out like this?"

Letting out a sad sigh, Juu looked up at Raditz. _He must be anxious to find out about this._ "I'll tell you everything, starting with what was going on before Gohan arrived." Juu then launched into an explanation of the androids and Cell, leaving out certain romantic details, and ended with the battle between and Cell and Gohan. They were all surprised to learn that Gohan had become a super saiyan, and even Raditz showed fear at the knowledge of a being that could easily beat him.

Glacer was the first to speak up. "So you're telling us that in addition to the war raging around us, there's an unstoppable cyborg on the loose somewhere in space who has powers from the strongest warriors in the galaxy." Juu nodded solemnly in response, causing Glacer to let out a disgruntled sigh. "That definitely makes our victory seem less significant. Even if we beat the Big Five, we'll eventually have to face this Cell, and nowhere in the galaxy would be safe until we do."

"I don't think we should focus on him per se," said the Namekian Elder, who had been sitting patiently, listening to Juu's story. "His power is well beyond us and this Cell doesn't seem like something we can prepare for until Gohan recovers. Cell is like an ant in an ocean, so our chances of encountering him are slim, but the Big Five are more prevalent threat. All we can do is deal with them and hope that we don't run into Cell."

Raditz slammed his clenched fist on the ground. His face was scrunched up, showing his agitation. "This waiting and hoping doesn't suit me. We saiyans are meant to face our problems directly." He knew that facing Cell directly would be suicide, but his saiyan instincts told him otherwise.

"I understand," said the Namekian Elder. "However, there's nothing we can do about it. For now we should focus on what we can do instead of what we hope to do." The normally jolly elder now bore an expression of dead seriousness, telling his fellow Namekians that the situation was indeed as bad as it sounded. "I think our first priority ought to be re-establishing communication with our allies, especially New Vegeta." He turned to leave. It was his duty as elder to see to it that all of his people were in good shape, and he lacked the seeing power that had allowed Guru to do it from a stationary position.

"I'll go to the ship and try to re-establish contact," said Raditz, getting to his feet. "Please come and inform me if Gohan wakes up," he said to Dende.

"I'll come with you," said Glacer. "You'll need someone to show you where the ship is, and you've only just recovered so it would be wise to have someone around to help."

Raditz grunted in response and a smirk appeared on his face. "Alright, but you're only coming with me for the first reason. I feel fine, and I don't need people waiting on me." The resurgence of his saiyan pride was a good sign for him and those who knew him. Raditz then followed Glacer into the air and towards the ship.

* * *

"NO! What have you done?" Zanramon, the Prime Leader of the Triceratons stared in horror as his precious private space cruiser blew up before he could reach it. The Triceraton encampment was now in chaos and he had intended to escape and Dr. Dread had contacted and advised him to leave the planet with as many troops as possible. However, Nappa had intervened, destroying his intended means of escape. Only a few other Triceraton troops had been lucky enough to reach a space pod and leave the planet's atmosphere.

"Going somewhere?" The Prime Leader felt a chill run down his spine as the saiyan king's voice behind him. It sounded cool and calm, but had an edge to it, hinting at what was to come. Vegeta calmly strolled passed the Prime Leader before turning to face him with a subdued smile the threatened to expand into a sadistic grin. "I thought King's were supposed to lead the army, not abandon the troops."

"I've done my job," said Nappa to Vegeta. "I guess I'll leave you to it."

Vegeta smiled and looked at Nappa out of the corner of his eye. "Make sure the last of their toys have been destroyed. Though I hate to admit it, we can't afford to let them activate." Nappa nodded before leaving the two rulers. However, soon after he left, another Triceraton came rushing into the hanger.

He had a mechanical right arm and an eye patch with a scar on his left eye. He was equipped with a jet pack for flight and an energy gun mounted on his mechanical arm. "Prime Leader sir, are you alright? I saw the explosion."

The arrival of his top general gave Zanramon a false sense of security. "Nice of you to join us Commander Mozar," he said as if he had the advantage. "Please dispose of this saiyan for me."

"It would be my pleasure your majesty," he said before stepping in between Vegeta and the now grinning Prime Leader, hiding any feelings of fear he had about facing the super saiyan.

"You know he's abandoning you," said Vegeta smoothly, looking over Mozar's shoulder to see Zanramon running away to find another spacecraft. Vegeta then looked back at the stone-faced general with an almost sadistic smile. "He knows that you don't stand a chance."

"I don't care," replied Mozar. "It is my sworn duty as a warrior to protect the leader of the Triceratons, even at the cost of my own life. You saiyans have your pride and we have ours." However, before he could make another move, Traximus burst through the roof, landing between him and the saiyan king, pointing his axe at Commander Mozar.

"Please let me handle this Vegeta," said Traximus. "Then you'll be free to continue your business with Zanramon." Vegeta gave an acknowledging grunt before fazing away to find Zanramon. "Alright Commander Mozar, you'll have to get past me if you want to protect your undeserving leader."

"Let's not get back to this again," replied the disgruntled Mozar. "I'll be paying you back for taking me eye out," he said before pointing his arm-mounted gun and firing a ki blast. Traximus leapt back before deflecting the blast with his axe. Commander Mozar rushed in to try and punch him with his non-metallic arm, but Traximus countered with his own punch and when the two fists collided, the resulting shockwave shook the foundations of the hanger.

Traximus then appeared behind Mozar and attempted to slash him with his arm. Mozar leaned out of the way and roundhouse kicked Traximus. The kick sent him flying a few feet back, but Traximus was able to catch himself before he hit the ground. He then leapt into the air to avoid a ki blast before diving down the deliver a punch to Mozar's cheek.

Mozar wiped the blood from his cheek before giving Traximus a cocky grin. "Not bad, I wouldn't expect any less from another Triceraton." Moments later the two were moving faster than the average eye could see, and the room of the hanger threatened to collapse from the shockwaves they generated.

* * *

The Capsule Corp ship touched down on Planet Cold. It's inhabitants needed to needed to stop for a little while to figure out their next move. Piccolo had warned that it would be unwise to waste fuel when they didn't even have a solid game plan. The main latch opened and a ramp extended to the ground. Tien stepped outside a few seconds later.

"I'm sensing several significant powers on this planet," he said to Piccolo who soon came out to join him. "They don't seem like they would be too much for us to handle though," he added as an afterthought.

"Something's off here," said Piccolo in a worried tone. "These beings obviously have above average power levels, but it seems like they're being suppressed by someone even stronger. We might have to help them out if that's the case." Tien nodded silently in agreement. The Namekian then closed his eye, attempting to feel out any hidden power levels. "There are many smaller power levels, and they're concentrated outside the larger settlements. They're like outcasts…maybe they're a resistance of some sort."

"We should go find them then," said Trunks as he joined then outside of the ship. "I checked the coordinates of this planet. We've been here before. This is Planet Cold, and if that's the case, then Glacer must be one of those outcasts."

Piccolo cupped his chin as his expression became grim. "Then either Frieza's family or a group like them came to power, or perhaps the saiyans led by Vegeta came here to conquer the planet as an act of revenge." He turned to look at Trunks. "Go wake up Goten and then return the ship to its capsule once you've done that. We'll all need to stay together and keep a low profile until we find out what's going on." Trunks nodded and returned to the ship to wake Goten.

* * *

Zanramon was relieved when he spotted an empty space pod that he could escape in, but his relief gave way to horror when Vegeta appeared in front of him with a cruel smirk on his face. "So you thought you could get away after all that you've done. How pathetic."

"V-Vegeta! How did you get here? Surely you couldn't have beaten Commander Mozar in such a short time!" If Triceratons could sweat, Zanramon would've been drenched. He tried to take a few steps back, but his body was frozen with fear, and he knew that running was pointless.

"I could've beaten your lackey within seconds," replied Vegeta frankly. "However, I didn't need to. The Triceraton rebel Traximus is currently fighting him."

_Darn that Traximus_, thought Zanramon, his fear briefly giving way to anger. However before Vegeta could start advancing on him, the Saiyan King's eyes suddenly turned to the sky, and his mouth gaped open. _Is he sensing something? It must be Broly_, thought Zanramon. He knew that Broly was their trump card, and that Paragus would only send him out if Dr. Dread recommended it.

However when Zanramon looked up, he quickly realized that the approaching figure could not be Broly. It was flying into the atmosphere from the void of space, something s saiyan like Broly couldn't do. This invoked a new fear in the Prime Leader. If Vegeta was stunned by the creature's power, then they were all potentially in danger.

It touched down on the ground a few feet away from them, and smiled, looking from one to the other with ice-blue eyes. Cell's gaze lingered on Vegeta who looked like he'd seen something unbelievable. "Ah, so you must be Vegeta. So you did become the saiyan king after all." He then turned to look at Zanramon. "You're a curious alien. I never imagined encountering something like you in outer space."

"W-What are you?" asked Zanramon fearfully.

"I am a perfect being," replied Cell. "My blood contains DNA from the strongest warriors who ever lived. That includes you Vegeta, and Freeza as well. I have you're DNA, powers, and techniques. I am the best of every race."

Vegeta grunted and stepped forward, challenging Cell. "I don't know who you think you are, but I doubt you're perfect. Perhaps the reason why you're so deluded is because you haven't faced a true challenge." Vegeta grunted, transforming into his super saiyan state, noting that Cell didn't look impressed with the display. "You've seen this before haven't you?"

"Indeed I did," replied Cell, "and, though he was by no means weak, Gohan didn't live up to the hype of this Super Saiyan legend." Cell chuckled when the information registered. Vegeta's face contorted with anger at the thought of his former apprentice being beaten and possibly killed by this freak, though Cell could sense an underlying fear, while the Prime leader looked overtly, terrified, but for his own reasons. "No doubt you know now that I'm quite a capable warrior."

Vegeta clenched his fists, and his body shook with anger. "So you expect me to believe that you defeated Gohan, after he became a super saiyan. I don't care what your genetic makeup is, being a super saiyan requires intense discipline and years of training, and a warrior with those qualities cannot be pushed aside." He began charging energy. "Now, I'm going to show you what a true saiyan is capable of. Let's see if you'll remain smug after this." He let loose a powerful ki blast, that hit Cell at close range, and sent the Prime Leader hurtling through the air.

* * *

It's been such a long time since I updated, but I hope that this chapter was good enough considering how long the wait was.


	6. Retreat and Regroup

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Vegeta frowned at his handiwork. He had put more force into the blast than he intended, and now he would have his work cut out for him locating Zanramon amongst the rubble. The blast had attracted the attention of several other saiyans who came to investigate, and Nappa was one of them. However, when the smoke cleared up enough, Vegeta's eyes widened when he saw nothing there.

_That blast should've at least left his corpse_ thought the saiyan King worriedly. _I don't think I put in enough power to vaporize his body._ His eyes began darting around him, checking to see if the creature had dodged at the last minute. _He shouldn't have been able to get far if he dodged. I refuse to believe that he could be any faster than that._

"Hey um…Vegeta, what happened?" Nappa knew that Vegeta would try to blast Zanramon into oblivion, but the power he had just used was more than the Prime Leader or any Triceraton would merit. His gaze turned to the crater then back to Vegeta whom he noticed was glancing around anxious. However, he didn't have time to mull over this as a sharp blow to the back of the head sent him sailing past his king and into a destroyed ship, causing him to pass out a few seconds after impact.

The saiyans near Nappa jumped when they noticed Cell hovering where Nappa was a few moments earlier. Being unable to detect his approach caused fear, an emotion they seldom felt and could never get used to. Cell chuckled, his gaze landing squarely on Vegeta who was now glaring at him for knocking out his best general. "Sorry about that, I just thought I'd taking a little trip around this planet while you were warming up. Are you ready to get serious now?"

Rising to the level of his opponent, Vegeta powered up further, causing a flaming gold aura to appear around him. "So you want to fight me at my best? Fine, but you'll live to regret it." He then addressed the other saiyans. "Go get Nappa and leave here. I doubt any of you would want to be nearby." They quickly obliged and were gone in a matter of seconds. With them gone, Vegeta could focus entirely on his opponent. The saiyans, while slowly recovering, were still low in number and any death could threaten their viability as a species.

Cell crossed his arms over his chest casually. "So Vegeta, are you going to show me your full power or not?" Moments after he made that remark, the saiyan king appeared right in front of him and sent him flying with a kick to the side of the head. To Cell it didn't hurt at all, and actually felt like a fun roller coaster. The cyborg stopped himself before he could crash into anything and chuckled. "That's the spirit."

Vegeta rushed towards his opponent to try land another blow, but Cell decided to block with his forearm. The saiyan king responded with a roundhouse kick, but Cell descended below it and grabbed Vegeta by the leg before swinging him around and then throwing him. After stopping his momentum Vegeta fired a volley of ki blasts at his approaching opponent, but the cyborg barreled through them. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Vegeta braced for impact, but when Cell rammed into him, the force sent him crashing into an already crumbling building that had been destroyed in the Triceraton's initial attack.

Not wanting to be caught at a disadvantage, Vegeta charged out of the rubble, but Cell vanished before the king could reach him. Moment's later, Vegeta doubled over as Cell's knee made contact with his gut; he hadn't seen the attack coming, his opponent was that fast. Cell then sent Vegeta into the ground with a sharp elbow to the back. As he got back up Vegeta realized that he had lost his cool and needed to regain focus in order to stand a chance. Taking a deep breath, and let his anger dissipate and felt his senses heighten. Moment's later, he block a punch from Cell with his forearm.

"Impressive," remarked the cyborg. "Look's like you regained your cool, however…" Cell quickly swept Vegeta's legs, and then spun rapidly to roundhouse kick him in the gut. Vegeta went through several destroyed buildings but stopped himself in the middle of another one before powering up and destroying the structure. Cell clapped in amusement. "Nice light-show Vegeta, truly a spectacle to behold."

_I won't let him get to me_ thought Vegeta. Cell vanished and Vegeta sensed him to his right and a swung his fist in that direction. His fist collided with Cell's; causing an impact that shook the entire planet. Vegeta felt his entire body vibrating from the impact, and pain from it shot through his clenched fist and up his arm.

When Cell pulled his fist back its knuckles where stained with small amounts of Vegeta's blood. Cell glanced at his fist before looking back at Vegeta who was starting to sweat from the effort. _He's at his limit just to keep up with me, and I haven't even gone super yet. If he's no match for me then I really am the strongest in the universe._ A sadistic grin suddenly crossed his face. _Nobody will be able to stop me now. The entire universe has become my playground._

To Vegeta it looked as if Cell had gone mad with excitement, and that unnerved him. After backing away to a considerable distance he spread his arms out wide and began charging energy. _It's not over yet I still have a chance._ He brought his arms together with his hands in front of him. His body was now engulfed in bright white aura of dancing flames. "Final Flash!" A massive beam of golden energy came surging out of his hands, as if floodgates had been open to let it out. Vegeta's most powerful attack slammed into Cell at relatively close range, the cyborg saw no reason to dodge.

However, as the smoke began to clear, Vegeta became aware of a very bright light coming from where Cell stood. He soon realized that Cell was unharmed and charging energy for his own attack. "Kamehame," flashing Vegeta a sadistic grin, Cell suddenly started to dash around the saiyan king, while still holding onto his charged energy, leaving afterimages in his wake. His foe was now thoroughly confused, as he couldn't tell which of the surrounding afterimages was the real Cell. "Ha!" The blast seemed to come out of nowhere, slamming into Vegeta's chest and sending him hurtling through the air before plummeting to the ground. Cell landed near the fallen king who was now unconscious, looking down on him with a cheeky grin. "I'll leave you alive for now Vegeta. That battle, while fun, was hardly challenging. Please get stronger for our rematch."

Cell looked around, surveying the result of his battle, sensing for any other possible challenges, but nothing he sensed interested him. _It appears that I'm done here_, he thought. _Ah well, on to the next planet._ Cell took off for the void of space, excited by the prospects of future adventures.

* * *

Traximus and Mozar had briefly paused their battle when Vegeta had started fighting Cell. Mozar realized that the Prime Leader was in the area and tried to run to him. However, Traximus somersaulted over him to block his path.

"Going somewhere Commander Mozar?" Traximus pointed the tip of his axe at Mozar's chest. His tone sounded mocking, but he was dead serious. "A true warrior is not so easily distracted by the surrounding environment."

Mozar growled angrily and took a step back so that he was in a less compromising situation. "Is that what you told yourself when you took my eye out? In case you haven't noticed, my prime objective is to make sure my king escapes this planet!"

"In that case I must stop you," replied Traximus. "With the Prime Leader gone, our people will come back to their senses and leave the Big Five alliance. I'd rather Vegeta not kill Zanramon, but I'm not inclined to stand in his way if he wants to."

"Fine, then I'll go through you." Mozar charged at Traximus with the three horns on his head pointed towards him. Traximus tried to block with his axe, but Mozar was skilled with his horns and promptly hooked and threw the axe into the air before attempting to punch Traximus with his metallic hand.

Traximus leaned back before placing a hand on the ground to support his weight. He then tried to swipe Mozar's legs with a break dancer-like kick, but Mozar dodge by leaping into the air and activating his jetpack before flying off. Traximus could jump quite high, but he knew that he couldn't fly and that meant that he would have to follow on foot. After grabbing his axe, he ran in the direction of Vegeta's blast.

As he ran he noticed the environment being destroyed ahead of him. _Vegeta's definitely fighting someone_, he thought worriedly. _However the Prime Leader is not a warrior. He could never bring force Vegeta to battle like this._ Though he couldn't sense energy, the destruction made it clear that an intense battle was raging. He saw a few buildings collapsing as well as several saiyans flying away from the area, but couldn't see Mozar. However, as he neared the area, the fighting stopped and he saw a lone figure rising high into the air, and eventually leaving the atmosphere.

He stopped at the rim of a crater, and looked down to see the saiyan king lying unconscious in its center. Wasting no time, he leapt into the crater to tend to Vegeta's wounds. _What could have done this to him?_ Vegeta was widely known as the strongest warrior in the universe, and Traximus knew that whoever did this posed a great threat.

When he checked his pulse, he realized that Vegeta was still alive, and his injuries were not as serious as the crater had suggested. _He's certainly an amazing warrior_, thought the Traximus as he hoisted Vegeta over his shoulder. _No Triceraton could survive an impact like this._ He heard some rubble slide down the crater behind him and turned to see the remnants of the Triceraton forces, with Commander Mozart taking the lead.

"We'll have to leave soon Commander Mozar," said Zanramon, whose mostly limp body was being placed in an intact space pod by two other foot soldiers. "Try and capture the rebel and Vegeta if you can, but don't assume anything. Leave as soon as the saiyans show any signs of violent resistance, leave before anything goes wrong."

The Commander nodded and kept his eyes on his leader's space pod until he was sure it had exited the atmosphere. He then looked back down at Traximus who was being held at gunpoint by several other foot soldiers, the saiyan king's unconscious body still over his shoulder. He couldn't help smirking at his rival's current predicament. "Bet you're second guessing your decision to go against your own people right now."

"You're the one who's on the wrong path," replied Traximus defiantly. "Can't you see what's happening? If it weren't for him and this war, none of you would be out here suffering on the battlefield." His words only caused the nearby soldiers to jab the ends of their guns at him.

"I would back out of here if I were you" said a voice behind Mozar. The Commander turned around to see Fasha glaring at them with her hands on her hips.

He knew that they couldn't beat her, she was an elite saiyan warrior and they didn't have any of their big weapons yet, and Mozar himself was far too tired to muster the effort. "Fine, I will leave you to help your king. It appears that you also don't have the capacity to take prisoners at the moment." He turned back to the Triceraton soldiers. "Alright men, we'll be falling back. As much as I loathe this, we must leave Traximus and Vegeta behind."

"You have an hour to get off the planet," said Fasha coolly to the Triceratons. "By then we'll have the strength to start taking prisoners again. Anyone still on the planet will be captured or killed." At that, the soldiers, and Commander Mozar began scrambling to find any remaining space pods that they could escape with.

* * *

"Planet Vegeta! Come in Planet Vegeta, this is Raditz." He tried in vain to reach his home planet, but the saiyans were likely busy dealing with an invasion occurring on their planet. "Damn it!" Raditz clenched his fist and had to force himself not to smash the keyboard in front of him.

Glacer stood a few feet away, looking on with a mix of sympathy and worry. "Perhaps they're just busy," he said. "Maybe they've received the signal but are too preoccupied to answer at the moment."

"I don't need your comfort," replied Raditz somewhat bitterly. "Something's definitely gone wrong, especially if they can't spare people to respond to this transmission."

"I understand," replied Glacer. "Your king is a super saiyan, and should be able to handle most invading armies singlehandedly, even if such a task would be tedious. In any case, all we can do is wait and follow the Namekian Elder's advice."

"You mean consider what we can do instead of what we want to do," replied Raditz, more as a statement than a question. "Alright then I think that once we've made sure the Nameks are safe, we should head for New Vegeta. We'll at least be able to help out there."

Glacer nodded and turned to leave. "I'll go to check on things outside. Please let me know if something comes it. It might actually just be a delay in communication after all." He left before Raditz could respond. Once outside, he pulled out a scouter and tapped it, looking to see if there were enough Namekian warriors to make the planet relatively secure. _Off course nothing is safe if the saiyans are in trouble_, he thought before his thoughts returned to Cell.

_My people were always preoccupied with genetics._ He thought back to King Cold and the mutation capsules his scientists had developed to augment his strength. _We always thought that we had the strongest genes of any race. I can only imagine how the royal family would react to news of something like Cell. They'd probably consider it an abomination._ Glacer also considered Cell an abomination, but he was more concerned with its destructive nature and not the fact that it was an impure mix of various species.

He saw two figures approaching over the horizon and quickly identified them as Nail and Juu, the later had Gohan slung over her shoulder. "I'll be taking the ship to Planet Vegeta," said Juu as if there were no arguing the matter. "Dende said that Gohan might wake up sooner or later so it would be okay for me to take him as well, and Raditz would probably want to come along too."

"I'll be staying here," added Nail. "You're more than welcome to stay if you think it's necessary."

"Thank you for the offer," replied Glacer to Nail courteously, "but I'd rather go see what's happening at Planet Vegeta right now. Besides, Raditz said he wasn't able to get anyone to respond to his signal which could also mean that their technology has been destroyed, in which case I'll be able to help out more over there."

"Sound's like a plan," replied Juu before flying past him and into the ship.

"Good luck on your journey," said Nail, briefly shaking hands with Glacer before flying back to his people. He had grown much stronger since Freeza came to Namek, yet he still knew that this new threat was too much for him to handle. _We're in trouble if we continue to divide ourselves like this_, thought Nail worriedly, _but for now it's necessary._

* * *

Piccolo, Trunks, Tien and Goten ran quietly through the frigid deserts of planet cold. Their training had conditioned them to block out the cold, keeping their insides warm with their ki. Despite having to suppress their power, they could run quite fast and cover a lot of ground quickly, though Piccolo had warned them not to overdue it to prevent them from churning up large dust clouds.

They eventually caught sight of mountains and Tien's superior vision allowed him to see finer details about them from a distance. "It look's like there's a series of caves up ahead, and there are some large furry creatures moving around near them." Off course Tien couldn't see even smaller creatures moving among the larger ones.

When they reached the caves they immediately tensed at the sight of the creature standing in front of them. They could tell that this changeling wasn't Freeza, but the resemblance still unnerved all of them except Goten. He was wearing a fur, which came from the creatures Tien had seen at a distance.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Tunder, and I can tell that you're not part of Cooler's army." His gaze quickly landed on Trunks. "I think you all were here before since Glacer told me about meeting a lavender haired saiyan. He left me in charge of the resistance, because he left the planet some time ago."

Piccolo stepped forward and shook hands with Tunder. "It's nice to meet you. We were wondering what's been going on here since we arrived here from Earth." Tunder led them inside and they quickly saw that the caves were quite well inhabited with technology that was reasonably advanced by Earth's standards.

Goten stared around in wonder, smiling at the fact that he was meeting an alien civilization in the depths of space. He seemed particularly captivated by the large furry creatures that looked to be almost as big as earth's elephants. They were covered in thick brown fur, which also made it hard to distinguish their flat facial features.

"These are woolies," said Tunder, taking note of Goten's interest in them. "The wild ones are very aggressive, but they are quite docile when raised in captivity from birth. Our ancestors have been living alongside them since the days of hunter-gatherers."

Goten looked eagerly at one that was standing in a cave corner. "Can I pet them?"

"Off course," replied Tunder with a soft smile. I had been while since he'd seen children. Changelings had longer generations than humans and laid eggs far less frequently than humans gave birth.

Piccolo glanced around uneasily, sensing that the strongest power was far from these caves. "So what's going on here? I thought King Cold had been defeated a year ago, along with Freeza."

"It seemed so," replied Tunder sadly, "but somehow Cooler, Freeza's older brother, returned to the planet after mysteriously dying somewhere in space."

"I defeated Cooler," said Trunks. "It was years ago. He came to Earth for revenge because his family had been dishonored by Freeza's defeat on Namek."

"Yes, but apparently there's something bigger going on," replied Tunder. "Are you aware that there's currently a massive war raging across galaxy? I'm sure the major planets, Namek, and New Vegeta included, have been hit by now. Just earlier, a female cyborg named Juu came here and helped us rescue the Namekian Nail and the Saiyan Raditz, along with our leader Glacer. Cooler had captured them shortly after taking back control here."

All of them, except Goten, were surprised. The cyborg they had been pursuing had been here, and apparently done some good. She was now an enigma to them. Was she their enemy, or could they trust her. She had stopped them from killing Seventeen and Eighteen, yet she also stopped the cyborgs from killing them.

"Cooler's changed since the last time you fought him," said Tunder to Trunks. "He was biological back then, but now he's been resurrected as a sort of symbiont. A life form with small machines living in symbiosis with its cells, and his entire body looks metallic as a result. He's also got an army of drones that look just like him under his command, they alone are formidable opponents."

"It looks like we'll be staying here then," said Piccolo. "We'll help you out with Cooler, I'm sure we could take him if we can get past those drones. However, will his drones deactivate when we take him out?"

"I can't guarantee that," replied Tunder, "but taking him out would at least leave them leaderless. They don't have the same thinking capacity that he does so they would definitely be a lesser threat and they are much weaker than him so we should be able to eliminate them eventually. All this assumes that we can take him out though, and that will not be easy."

"Don't worry," replied Trunks confidently. "We've faced uneasy opponents before. We're ready to help out in any way we can, and in all honesty, if Cooler prevails here, he'll probably be paying earth a visit for revenge anyway."

Tunder nodded and thanked them before taking them to where they would be staying. Trunks realized that Goten was still playing with the woolly, but when he turned to get him he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Leave him be for now," said Piccolo. "He'll need to get that out of his system, because the next few days will probably be rough on him." Trunks smiled and nodded before following Piccolo.

* * *

I hope you like this update. I'll be going away over the summer thought so I won;t be updating through the rest of June or July, though I'll try to update again in august.


	7. Machinations

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Vegeta had woken up in the medical ward a few hours ago and was questioning Traximus about the Triceratons. "So you're telling me that the Triceratons are part of a much larger force, and that there's a saiyan among them?" Vegeta sounded more outraged than worried about there being a saiyan in the big five. Traximus nodded, confirming his words. "What can you tell me about this saiyan."

"I haven't been able to get much information about him," replied Traximus, "but I do know that he has some sort of beef with the saiyan royal family." Traximus' eyes narrowed as he remembered what his informant had told him. "The truth is, there might be another saiyan as well. They are supposedly related, perhaps father and son. The father is the brain of the two, but the son is rumored to be obscenely strong. He might even be a super saiyan, though it's just a rumor. Nobody's ever actually seen him fight or at least seen him and lived."

Vegeta looked back down at his bruised fist. It had happened during his fight with Cell, but he hadn't noticed the injury until after he had woken up. _I'm completely useless right now_, he thought frustrated. _If this saiyan really is as strong as the rumors suggest, then Gohan and I are the only ones who would stand a chance against him._

The door opened behind Traximus and Fasha walked in. "We've received an incoming transmission," she said, her voice sounding unusually upbeat considering the situation. "It was from Raditz. To make a long story short, he's coming here on Gohan's ship along with Juu, Gohan, and Glacer."

"Excellent," replied Vegeta as a smile crossed his face. "Perhaps now we'll find out more about what's being going on. How long until they arrive?"

"They should be here in about a day," replied Fasha, "however there's a catch. Gohan's apparently out of commission for the moment. It was something that happened on Earth. Juu said that she would explain it when they arrived."

Vegeta nodded to her, before turning to Traximus. "What's the likelihood that the Prime Leader would come back here? Considering my current condition we won't stand a chance against their mechs," he said begrudgingly.

"If he were alone, it would probably take a while for the Triceratons to recover enough strength to launch another attack. However, I don't know much about the overall strength of the Big Five. The others could have legions of troops to lend him for all I know. I'm sorry that I can't provide more helpful answer."

"That's fine," replied the King with an air of calmness. "I don't need to know anything more right now, you can both go." Traximus and Fasha nodded before leaving Vegeta to his thoughts. Without any prying eyes, his strong façade crumbled. "Darn it!" He clenched his fists tightly. _We're just sitting ducks and there's nothing I can do about it!_

* * *

Glacer walked into the main control room where Raditz was watching the main monitor. Juu was currently watching over Gohan. "I hope you don't mind, but I want to contact Tunder at our base on Planet Cold. I assure you it'll be a secure connection."

"Be my guest," replied Raditz.

"Thank you," replied Glacer before he started typing on a keyboard in front of a side monitor. The screen quickly began to show static lines as the computer attempted to establish communication with the Changeling resistance base. Soon it changed to a screen requiring a password. It was a security protocol to prevent unwanted listeners. After typing the correct password, Glacer only had to wait a few seconds before Tunder face appeared on screen.

"Oh, hello Glacer," said Tunder in a happy tone. "I'm glad that you called when you did. "We've had some new arrivals on Planet Cold that you met earlier, when King Cold was overthrown."

Raising an eyebrow ridge Glacer felt confused until Piccolo walked into the room and stood behind Tunder. "Oh, now I remember. I met you all shortly after King Cold was killed. Is the young super saiyan there with you?" The word 'super saiyan' caught Raditz' attention.

"What Super saiyan?" He asked, walking over to stand behind Glacer. He quickly recognized Piccolo who recognized him back. "Well I see that you lot have gotten involved in this war. "You do realize that you might've put the Earth in danger. You're planet has always been below the radar."

"I understand that," replied Piccolo, "but now that I know what's going on, I don't think the Earth would've been safe for much longer anyway. Cooler, who is currently in control of this planet came to Earth to avenge his brother, and Trunks, the super saiyan Glacer was talking about, defeated him. If the big five won out here, he would've probably come to Earth seeking revenge."

"You have a point there," replied Glacer, clearly impressed by Piccolo's wisdom. "In any case, you all should try and lay low. Tunder has probably told you that Cooler now has an army of cyborg clones at his disposal. Even Super Saiyans would have trouble fighting an army like that."

Piccolo nodded before backing away from the camera, and Tunder spoke up. "We think that Cooler might be sending some of his forces out to help the other members of the big five. "It's just a heads up. So where are you heading now and what happened to Namek?" The mention of his former home world caught Piccolo's attention and his ears perked more so than before.

"We where able to defeat one of the Big Five. His name was Lord Slug and he was in control of Namek. The Cyborg Juu was a really big help for this, and we left Nail behind to protect the planet. We are currently going to reinforce New Vegeta. They've taken a major hit after the Triceratons tried to invade them. They've repelled the invasion, but their forces are severely weakened."

Piccolo remained quiet. He didn't understand much of what Glacer was saying, but he knew that Tunder would brief them on it later. What caught his attention most was the fact that Juu was among them and had helped them liberate his former homeland. He would have to put aside his personal suspicion with Juu in case they ended up working together later on in the war. _For now, it's best that I don't tell the others if I don't have to_, he thought.

"Alright," said Glacer, wrapping up his report. "I'll get back to you later. Goodbye old friend, and good luck." Glacer stood up from the computer and stretched out. "I'm going to have a snack. Would you like me to take over for you?"

"No thanks," replied Raditz. "I'm good for a few more hours."

* * *

As she sat next to an unconscious Gohan, Juu was typing vigorously on a laptop. It looked similar to an Earth laptop, but was able to communicate across the galaxy. Even though there was a war going on, the intergalactic web was still full of news. She was scanning it for a particular kind of article.

Her eyes widened when she found what she was looking for. _Planet Aurelia has been destroyed…I couldn't be the Big Five. They want to conquer, not destroy. It has to be Cell._ Though she felt a bit guilty for it, Juu was relieved that Cell was apparently far away from their current course. They wouldn't have to deal with him for a while.

Even with a rudimentary ability to sense ki, she could feel Gohan's strength rising slowly. _He'll be awake soon…I hope Cell doesn't attack us until then._ She knew that even with Gohan, fighting Cell would be tough. The creature was far above Gohan the last time the two fought, and even with his ability to get stronger after a battle he might not have the boost necessary to fight Cell by himself.

"I won't be weak," she said to herself and to the unconscious Gohan. She knew that King Vegata was out of commission for the moment, making her the strongest person who could defend against the Big Five. It was mostly on her to protect them if someone strong like Cooler came to Planet Vegeta. She still remembered what it was like fighting him. The drones weren't too tough for her, but the original was more than a match for her. _I have to train_, she thought, getting up to go to the gravity room. Turning to Gohan, she smiled tenderly at him. "I'll be gone for just a few hours. I'm not going to let you down."

* * *

"I found out where Juuhachigou is," said Piccolo when he joined the others. Goten didn't know what he meant, but Tien and Trunks snapped to attention. "She was on Namek and helped defeat one of the Big Five. She's now heading to Planet Vegeta with Glacer and Raditz to reinforce that planet."

"So basically we're not going to bother with her for now," stated Tien. Piccolo nodded in response. "It's frustrating to not be able to bring her to justice after what she did to us on Earth, but I guess it's for the best."

Trunks clenched his fist in frustration, but quickly relaxed it as a sigh escaped him. "I don't like this either, but I'll have to accept that this world is different. Still, if I ever find an excuse to do it, she's dead…" then he remembered Gohan. "On second thought, maybe not." He felt someone pulling on his sleeve to get his attention, and looked at Goten, who looked concerned.

"Trunks, if you go after her, my brother might beat you up again." He didn't sound proud of that fact. He quickly smiled when Trunks ruffled his hair. He honestly thought of Trunks as being his true brother instead of Gohan.

"Don't worry Goten," replied Trunks. "If she doesn't come after us I won't bother chasing her down."

Tien turned back to Piccolo. "So now that that's out of the way, what's on our current agenda? We'll probably have to contact everyone on Earth to tell them what's going on. I'm sure Chichi will want to speak to Goten as well."

"I agree," replied Piccolo. "Tunder said that he'd tell us when a mission came up, so we should just remain on standby and keep up our training. You guys can contact Earth if you want, but I'm going to start training. We'll need to be at our best to fight Cooler."

"I swear that I killed him," muttered Trunks to himself as Piccolo left.

* * *

Piccolo walked through the caverns that made up the changeling base until he ran into Tunder. "Um…excuse me Tunder, could you tell me where I could safely train?"

"We have a training room on the lowest floor," replied Tunder. "Don't worry about Cooler finding us with his scouters. They can't penetrate these caves. So long as you don't tear up the base, you can train to your heart's content."

"Thank you," replied Piccolo before proceeding to the training area. It was a large stadium, and there were currently a few resistance members sparring or lifting weights. Piccolo chose a corner of the stadium and began meditating. His power level rose, and his muscles felt the strain, but he wasn't physically moving. He had turned himself inwards and was currently sparring with himself in a mental world. It was a special Namekian technique that allowed them to increase their power without disturbing their surroundings.

* * *

Trunks, Tien, and Goten hovered around the screen of their communicator as if began searching for a signal from Earth. Bulma's face appeared on the screen soon after communication was established. "Hey guys," she said happily, though Trunks could tell that she was truly worried about them. "So what's been happening, and where's Piccolo?"

"Piccolo went to do some training," replied Trunks. "We've been sucked into an intergalactic war, and so has Juuhachigou. Don't worry we'll be fine. We're currently in a planet called Cold. It's where Freeza's race comes from. We're trying to help the resistance here overthrow his brother."

"Alright," replied Bulma uncertainly; she didn't want to bother having them explain things in more depth. "I trust you guys to take care of yourselves but Chichi will never forgive you if anything happens to Goten," she said warningly.

"Tell mom that I'll be fine," said Goten. "Tell her that I'll be home before she knows it." He was determined to make it home to his mother, and was worried about what she would do if he never came back. He was all she had left.

"I'll tell her that," replied Bulma. "Maybe I should ask her to come live here until you get back. That way she'll be here to talk to you the next time you call."

"Alright, we'll get back to you later," replied Trunks. They broke off the communication. "I think we should join Piccolo in training," said Trunks after the device was powered down. The others nodded in agreement and they left to look for the training area.

* * *

Cooler stood in front of a collection of screens. Each one was linked to an orbiting satellite. They were arranged in such a way that he could monitor most of the planet's surface, though the rebels had always found a way to drop below his radar. He had confirmed that a space ship had landed on the planet, and knew that it had to be from Earth.

Though all the cells in his body were now cybernetic, he still felt as his blood boiling at the thought of the young super saiyan that had defeated him years ago. It felt humiliating being beaten by a teenager. He almost died; in fact he probably was dead in the technical sense. Dr. Dread had been monitoring the fight to see if he could recruit another individual to his cause. He had sent probes down to retrieve Cooler's remains and with his advanced technology, rebuilt him as a cyborg.

Cooler chuckled to himself, his tail lashing about vigorously behind him. _You may have won the first round boy, but I've become stronger, and with my new powers you won't stand a chance. I'll crush and make you pay for disrespecting the Cold Family!_ One of the screens began beeping, indicating an incoming call. Cooler accepted the call and Dr. Dread's face appeared on screen. "Hello Doctor. Did something come up? You look agitated."

"I'm afraid that there's something else we need to worry about besides our obvious enemies." Dr. Dread's face was quickly replaced by the image of a news article concerning a planet that had been destroyed recently. "Planet Aurelia was blown up a short while ago. I've alerted the other members of our alliance to this as well. Paragus assured me that it wasn't Broly which means that someone else, someone who isn't part of this war must be responsible."

"This could pose a problem," replied Cooler. "Planet Aurelia had valuable mineral resources. It would've been useful to have it under our control. We can't allow some terrorist to go blowing up planets like this. Is there any more information you can give me about this?"

"I'm afraid not," replied Dr. Dread as his face appeared back on screen. "All I can say is that whoever did this can't be reasoned with. This wasn't some tactical planet destruction like the one your brother pulled on the Old Planet Vegeta. This was complete and wasteful destruction. If you ever find someone trying to blow up a planet, just kill them, that's all I can say for now."

The communication ended, leaving Cooler to his thoughts again. "I'd best consolidate my power here soon," he said to himself. Using the telepathic link he shared with them, Cooler gave his clones an order. _"I want you all to hunt down the resistance. They're hiding out somewhere in the wasteland, perhaps among the caves. Go find them and massacre them. I don't want any of them alive." _ Then another thought occurred to him. _"Also, if you happen to run into a super saiyan with lavender hair, bring him to me alive. I'd like to end his life personally."_

* * *

"Solar Flare" Tien used one of his signature moves, blinding the resistance members he was sparring with. Trunks and Goten, who had been sparring looked over at what followed. Without the ability to sense his whereabouts, the two warriors were easily taken by surprise as Tien attacked them from the sides; they were expecting him to attack from behind. He wasn't able to overwhelm them, but he did catch them by surprised and hold them at bay until they recovered their sight.

"You caught us off guard," said one of the warriors. Like a lot of the soldiers, including Glacer, he resembled Freeza's second form. "That technique can be deadly if you knew how to exploit your opponent's weaknesses."

Trunks, who had stopped sparring with Goten approached Tien. "Um Tien," he turned his attention to the saiyan hybrid. "Could you teach me the solar flare technique. I might come in handy against Cooler."

"Off course," replied Tien. "With your strength, I'm sure you'd be able to use it effectively. In fact, I'll be happy to teach it to all of you. It's especially useful if you're trying to escape."

Tien soon had a sizeable group consisting of Trunks, Goten, and several resistance soldiers, all were eager to learn the solar flare technique. It felt odd to him, since he wasn't used to thinking of himself as a teacher. He had always been a student. Piccolo didn't pay much mind to the group. He could figure out the technique for himself if he felt he needed to. Instead, he was more focused on meditating. His special beam canon needed work.

* * *

Most of the surviving Triceratons had successfully escaped New Vegeta and were currently parked in the outer reaches of its solar system. They were waiting for reinforcements to arrive. A new ship entered their sensory field and they quickly identified it as an allied ship. The significantly smaller vessel looked ill equipped to reinforce the much larger Triceraton battle cruisers, but it was carrying the Big Five's deadliest weapon of all.

"Ah Paragus, it's good to see you," said the Prime Leader as the saiyan and his son walked into his throne room on the Triceraton flagship. "As you can see, our invasion of New Vegeta has left our fleet heavily damaged. However, our repairs are almost completed."

"That's good," replied Paragus. "I've brought Broly with me. He should be able to more than compensate for the losses your troops suffered in the initial invasion. Let's also not forget that the saiyans are also busy licking their wounds."

Commander Mozar entered the throne room, respectfully acknowledging Paragus before bowing to Zanramon. "Prime Leader, I've come to report that our fleet has been entirely restored to optimal working condition. All we need to do now is wait until our injured have finished healing."

"Excellent," replied Zanramon, his eyes glistening at the prospect of getting revenge. "That shouldn't take more than a day or two. You may go now Commander Mozar." Mozar bowed before exiting the room. The Prime Leader then turned back to Paragus. "There's one more thing. During our invasion, a mysterious and powerful creature appeared. It was more powerful than even the Super Saiyan Vegeta. Do you think Broly can handle it?"

"My son hasn't yet face an opponent he couldn't beat," replied Paragus confidently. "We should be fine. Besides, that creature has helped us by incapacitating Vegeta." He showed the gauntlet on his left arm. "As long as Broly is under my control, we don't have anything to worry about."

As Paragus and Zanramon planned their invasion of New Vegeta, neither of their crews noticed a much smaller craft slipping past their detection on a course for New Vegeta.

* * *

This chapter was meant to be a breather between battles, so sorry to disappoint if you expected any action scenes, though they will occur in the next chapter when Broly joins the fight. I've decided to focus on my stories one at a time, starting with this one. I'll try and put out these chapters faster.


	8. Counterattack

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

As the ship entered New Vegeta's atmosphere, Raditz began transmitting a signal that would confirm them as an allied ship. Nappa's face appeared onscreen a few minutes later. He was partly bandaged, but otherwise looked healthy, even combat ready.

"Hey Raditz, glad to have you back," he said, as if he wasn't injured. "So how's Gohan? I heard that he was incapacitated." He didn't look overly caring like Fasha had when she found out, but Raditz could tell that he was worried about the kid.

"He'll probably be fine in the long run," replied Raditz seriously. "However, you're probably not going to like hearing about what happened to him. He was apparently beaten by something even stronger than him, and he was a super saiyan. So until he wakes, we're basically sitting ducks against whoever beat him."

"Sounds bad," replied Nappa casually. It wasn't that he didn't take the situation seriously; he had just given up on being worried. "So how are you doing? Can you fight?"

"Off course," replied Raditz, sounding almost insulted. "I'm in top form right now thanks to the Namekian healer. "Anyway, we'll be landing in a few minutes so we can continue this conversation in person." Nappa signed off moments later, and Raditz reclined in his seat. The ship was currently on autopilot.

* * *

Juu exited her room's shower, and quickly got dressed. Her clothes consisted on a black tank top, leather pants and black boots. She had just finished several hours of straight training. The ship had landed a few moments ago, and she would be disembarking soon, and Gohan had been taken out of the ship to a room in the medical ward, making her the last person on board.

Juu met Fasha at the base of the ship. The female saiyan had been waiting for her. "We need to talk about what happened to Gohan," she said. "The others are all waiting." Juu nodded before following her to a room on the ground floor, near Gohan's room. It looked more like a conference room, with a large desk in the middle surrounded by sofas and chairs. Everyone from the ship was there, as well as Nappa, Traximus, and Vegeta, who had recovered enough strength to walk around.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, why don't we start this off," said King Vegeta, who retained his tough regal appearance in spite of his injuries. "Firstly we need to talk about that creature that put Gohan out of action. I'm pretty sure that it was the same as the one that came here and injured me and Nappa."

Juu was surprised to hear this. It was now time for her to tell her story. She told them about Cell being Dr. Gero's ultimate creation and how it had absorbed her counterparts form this timeline. She went on to explain how it defeated Super Saiyan Gohan before flying off into space. "The truth is, even with Gohan, Cell will not be an easy opponent to beat," she ended cautiously.

She looked across the room at the expressions of Fasha, Nappa, Vegeta and Traximus. The Triceraton didn't seem too phased by this; he was either too tough or too used to being outclassed. King Vegeta felt outraged at the thought of a creature like Cell, and now he was sure that it was the same one that had defeated him, but he managed to avoid showing too much emotion. Fasha was visibly worried, but she didn't look scared, more like she was eager to finish Cell off as soon as possible before it could cause too much harm. Nappa felt a mix of fear and anger, but his face seemed to convey frustration more than anything else.

"There's no doubt, it's definitely the same creature as the one that attacked us here," said Nappa somewhat nervously. He might've looked battle-ready on the outsides, but his insides were still too damaged for him to fight. "I can't wait until the healing chambers have been repaired, then we'll be able to pay it back."

"I doubt it Nappa," replied Vegeta calmly, though part of him wanted to agree with Nappa. "Though I hate to admit it, that creature has too much of an advantage over us. We'll at least need to wait for Gohan to wake up before we can think about fighting it. For now I think we should focus on the Big Five. They'll be easier to defeat. Then we can all try to destroy the creature."

"The Triceratons are probably our most immediate threat," added Traximus. "Even though they've been beaten back, we can't assume that they've given up the invasion. Their fleet is probably parked somewhere out in the solar system."

"Agreed," replied Vegeta. "Right now we're in no position to go out hunting for them. For now we should probably be vigilant and take stock of what we have. If they want to attack us again, they'll come of their own accord. No need for us to waste resources." Vegeta dismissed the meeting and everyone in the room dispersed to do various things.

* * *

"Prime Leader, our ships are combat ready once again," said Commander Mozar, bowing to his leader. "Shall we inform Paragus and commence the attack?"

"Yes," replied Zanramon, chuckling gleefully at the though of getting revenge. "Tell Paragus that we are ready. This time, we'll annihilate those foolish monkeys!" Commander Mozar left to carry out the order. _With Broly on our, side, we can't possibly lose this time_, thought Zanramon confidently. _I can't wait to see the terrified look on Vegeta's face when he comes up against our super saiyan._

Paragus entered a dimly lit room, where a younger, leaner saiyan was lying down on a mattress. "Wake up Broly it's time to begin the attack." The gauntlet on his hand began to glow, causing Broly's headband to glow as well. The younger saiyan got to his feet, a blank expression on his face. Paragus smiled, "now my son, let us get revenge on that swine Vegeta."

"Yes father," replied Broly obediently before following him out of the room.

They made their way to the control room where the lizardmen under Paragus' control were directing their ship to follow the Triceraton fleet. "We are on course my lord," said one of the men "We will reach Planet New Vegeta within a few hours."

Broly stared blankly at the screen. Brief flashes of memory invaded his mind as he thought about the upcoming battle. His memory was fuzzy, but there were a few feelings and sounds he could recall, such as a painful stinging feeling in his abdomen and an annoying wailing that he could never sleep through. Broly clenched his fists in anger, he wasn't completely aware of what the saiyans did to him, but he knew that he wanted revenge.

* * *

Gohan's body looked peacefully as he lay unconsciously on the bed in the medical ward, but his mind was racing. Once in a while his power would spike mildly, indicating that something was affecting his mind.

_Gohan felt drowsy, as if he could fall asleep any second. The surface he was laying on was by no means soft, but he felt weak and drowsy enough to sleep on it anyway. He slowly opened his eyes, despite his body begging him not to. He felt that he had to open them._

_A bright light shone into his eyes, hurting his eyes. He quickly realized that the light source was hovering directly in front of him. Gohan couldn't clearly see his face, but he recognized the silhouette. The spiky hair was unmistakable, it was Goku._

"_Father…" it felt strange for Gohan. He lacked the contempt he normally felt for his dad. There were strange memories invading his head. They were images of him when he was younger…before his uncle had taken him into space._

_They came like jolts. One minute he was staring at his father's super saiyan form, and the next he was watching a scene from a dreamlike past. The images were all peaceful, and they all featured his father and a woman who Gohan took to be his mother. He felt oddly happy watching the scenes before him; no doubt that's how he felt when they occurred._

_Looking at his father in light of those memories he couldn't help feeling sorry for the man who had apparently taken care of him for the first few years of his life. However he still wasn't going to blame Juu for killing him. He was in a strange place at the moment, an odd limbo between his past and present life._

* * *

It didn't take long for word to spread of the invasion when ships were detected entering New Vegeta's atmosphere. The saiyans who were still able to fight scrambled, hoping to destroy the Triceraton ships as they entered the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the Triceratons had anticipated this tactic and released all of their foot soldier at the higher altitudes to minimize their casualties.

The Trieeraton fleet had been greatly depleted as well, but they still outnumbered the saiyans. With Nappa and Vegeta out of action, Fasha had assumed direct command of the troops with Raditz as second in command. Juu, Glacer, and Traximus were not part of the saiyan army, and they were more concerned about finding and defeating the higher-ranking members of the fleet to throw it into chaos.

"The Prime Leader's ship hasn't entered the atmosphere," said Traximus after a quick look at the ships floating in the upper stratosphere. He could've easily picked the flagship out from the normal destroyers. "He isn't brave enough to come down here with his troops."

Glacer landed next to him. "Why? His ship would be full of soldiers, why's he holding part of his army back? He can't beat the saiyans like this." Glacer then caught sight of another ship, which he didn't recognize, following after the Triceraton destroyers. "What's that? Is that the Prime Leader's ship?"

Traximus' eyes widened. "No it's something different! It must from one of the other member of the Big Five!" He quickly realized that there was only one ship of that type coming. "Why aren't there more? Surely that small ship won't have enough reinforcements."

"You'll find out soon enough," came a voice from above. Commander Mozar hovered above them with a jetpack and arm mounted laser. "Even if King Vegeta were still able to fight, he wouldn't be a match for our new weapon, but you'll find out what that is soon enough…unless I kill you before then."

Glacer was about to jump into the air to fight him, but Traximus stopped him. "No. Let me handle this." Traximus drew his axe and stepped in front of Glacer, who backed down reluctantly.

"You lack the ability to fly. He'll have air superiority over you," warned Glacer.

"Don't worry about me," replied Traximus. "I'll find a way to beat him. You should try and figure out what's in that strange ship." Glacer gave in and flew up, leaving Traximus to face Mozar. _I'll have to disable that jetpack_, thought Traximus. _Then I'll be able get at him._

Commander Mozar chuckled. "That changeling had a point," he said while he pointed his ki-powered laser at Traximus. "You're at quite a disadvantage." He then proceeded to rain ki blasts down on Traximus who ran in an attempt to stay ahead of them. Mozar began laughing as he quickly put Traximus on the defensive.

* * *

Juu knocked several Triceraton soldiers away from her. It was almost too easy, and her real target was one of the large destroyers. Unleashing a powerful ki blast, she quickly disposed of the destroyer's core, causing the two intact halves to fall to the ground and explode.

Then another ship caught her eye. She could tell that it was different from the Triceraton destroyers. It was smaller and seemed more equipped for speed and protecting what was inside, lacking the large laser canons of the destroyers. Juu didn't pay this much mind as she fired another ki blasts to destroy it. However a hatch opened and another, greenish ball of ki emerged and countered her attack.

Juu was not amused. _Looks like there's a powerful opponent in there_, she thought. _This'll take longer than I thought._ She flew up to the ship and hovered in front of the hatch as it opened. Two figures emerged from the hatch. She quickly identified them as saiyans. "So what's your story? Why are two saiyans siding with the Triceratons?"

Paragus, the taller, older saiyan wearing black saiyan armor under a cape spoke up. "We have our reasons. That's not something you need to know. If you get between us and King Vegeta then my son and I will have no choice but to go through you." He turned to his son, a lankier saiyan who looked to be around Vegeta's age. "Now Broly."

Broly floated closer to Juu and the metallic headband on his head began to glow red. He clenched his fists and began powering up as if on command. Juu's eyes widened as his hair spiked and began to glow a bright golden color. With a mighty yell he finished powering up. The once seemingly meek saiyan was now a dangerous looking super saiyan.

She backed away to gain some distance. Though she couldn't accurately read power levels she knew that he was at least as strong as her, if not stronger. _This is just great!_ Realizing that fretting would only make things worse, she calmed herself. "You might be a super saiyan, but that doesn't mean I'm going to back down."

Without a word, Broly charged at her, and it came so suddenly that she didn't have much time to block. When his fist met her forearm it sent a painful jolt through her. Juu backed away, but quickly had to sway out of the way of his barrage of fists. Broly was relentless in his attempt to bash her skull in. However his attacks were wild, and Juu eventually got a feel for his fighting style, her limitless power supply came in handy.

The next time Broly swung his fist Juu rushed him, catching him off guard, giving her the chance to land a solid blow to his gut. Broly winced as a painful memory resurfaced. The now enraged saiyan quickly closed his arms around Juu before she could escape and then grabbed her by the shoulder before descending and slamming her into the ground.

Juu averted a more serious injury by generating a ki shield between her and the ground, but she still ended up badly bruised. Broly stepped back to survey the damage he'd cause. The moment Juu started to rise she sensed him moving and did a back flip to avoid his fist. In doing this, her foot connected with his chin, sending him back a few feet. However the super saiyan quickly recovered and rushed in again. Juu was on the defensive again, dodging his attacks by mere inches and occasionally landing an ineffective blow that at best gave her some breathing room.

* * *

Paragus chuckled as he watched his son fighting. "It's not use little girl. Your attacks are only making Broly angrier, and he hasn't even shown his true power yet. You should've just let us find Vegeta."

"I wouldn't underestimate her," came a voice from behind him. Paragus turned around to face Glacer. "Now I have to ask what a saiyan is doing fighting for the Triceratons. Are you some kind of rebel?" This caused Paragus to laugh. "Did I say something funny?"

"I wouldn't call myself a rebel," replied Paragus. "You could consider me an avenger. You see I was wronged by the previous King Vegeta. My son Broly and I will never forget what they did to us." Paragus didn't seem upset about his memories at all; instead his face seemed to convey a sadistic desire to cause pain.

Glacer narrowed his eyes at the saiyan. "So you blame Vegeta's father and for that you're going to punish all saiyans. None of these saiyans were responsible for what the previous king did. You're just power hungry, aren't you?" He pointed an accusing finger at the saiyan. "You probably want to become the new King of saiyans and you're using your son as a weapon aren't you? I assume that's what the device on your arm is for."

Paragus chuckled, not at all worried about having been found out. "So what if I am? Broly doesn't need to think for himself, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Paragus extended his hand towards Glacer and shot a powerful beam of ki at him.

Glacer dodged to the side, but Paragus appeared behind him and punched him in the back. However, as he was falling forward, Glacer quickly regained control and slammed his tail into Paragus' side, sending him flying. Paragus recovered quickly and unleashed a barrage of small ki blasts at his opponent who crossed his arms to block the blasts. Paragus then appeared in front of him and tried to bash his forearm over Glacer's head, however Glacer raised his arms to block the blow.

Glacer then spun around and slammed his tail into Paragus' head. The saiyan's eyes widened as he went flying through the air. Glacer then fired several ki blasts. Paragus recovered and knocked several away before dodging the last one. However, as he charge at Glacer the one he'd dodged curved back and hit him from behind. Glacer took the opportunity to charge and knee Paragus in the gut. Paragus was briefly winded, but wasted recovered fast enough to send Glacer flying back with a punch to the face.

* * *

A second Triceraton cruiser blew up as Fasha erupted from it. Several Triceraton soldiers bailed out and began firing their ki lasers at her. Fasha used a ki shield to block the attack before unleashing her own barrage of ki attacks. Several soldiers went down and the rest retreated, however before she could pursue them, something else caught Fasha's attention.

Juu flew up with Broly in hot pursuit. He only seemed to be getting stronger as the fight progressed. She attempted, in vain, to slow him down with a barrage of ki blasts. However as Broly came within a few feet of her, Fasha rushed in, catching him off guard, before sending him flying a few feet.

Broly recovered almost instantly, confused and angry, but not the slightest bit hurt. When he realized that he now had two opponents his anger was replaced with a wild grin. "So another lamb has come for the slaughter? Fine by me, the more the merrier." He chuckled sadistically before rushing at the two women.

Juu rushed in front of Fasha and created a ki shield to briefly hold Broly at bay. Fasha nodded and took the opportunity to leap onto Broly's back and delivered a powerful blow between his shoulder blades. This only served to aggravate the super saiyan, who blew Juu back with a pulse of energy before grabbing Fasha by the leg and hurling her towards the ground. Juu caught Fasha before she hit the ground.

Broly chuckled sadistically before pursuing them at high speed. He was enjoying this. He reached them before they had a chance to mount a defense and rammed each of his forearms into their guts. Flying at high speed, he rammed into several already crumbling buildings, demolishing each structure they went through. He stopped upon reaching the outskirts of the city, letting the two women fly off into the forest.

"That takes care of them," said Broly, thinking he'd put them out of action. " I wonder if King Vegeta will be more fun to play with." Broly proceeded to comb the city hoping to find the saiyan king.

Juu and Fasha had survived being thrown through the forest, however Fasha was no longer in any shape to fight. Juu got up and rubbed her aching wounds while Fasha lay back on the forest floor.

"It's no use," she said with a bitter smile. "I can't fight anymore. That saiyan…I was useless against him." She turned to look at Juu who was bruised, but otherwise still able to fight. "You're lucky to have infinite stamina. Please leave me here and return to the fight. With Gohan and our king out of commission you're the strongest fighter we've got."

Juu nodded. "I won't let you down. Take care of yourself." She took off and headed back to continue fighting Broly. _Still…I'm not sure if I'll be able to do anything to him._

* * *

"V-Vegeta! What are you doing?" Nappa was shocked to see Vegeta walking out to the battlefield. "You're in no condition to fight," said the saiyan general, stepping in front of the king in the hopes of dissuading him from going out to fight.

"Stand aside Nappa!" Vegeta's voice commanded obedience despite his injured state. "I may not be able to fight at my maximum, but I can still fight! I can sense the super saiyan outside. Our troops need their king, and I'm not about to hide in here!"

Before Nappa could say anything in response they heard someone bellowing outside. "VEGETA! COME OUT COWARD!" Several explosions followed those words, indicating the destruction of nearby buildings.

Broly blasted several buildings, paying no mind to what they actually contained. However before he could fire off another blast, a foot connected with the back of his head, sending him spinning in place. Juu noted the lesser impact her attack had on him. Her eyes widened when she realized how much Broly had change since the start of their battle. His muscles were noticeably larger and his eyes lacked pupils.

Broly began chuckling, which quickly degenerated into maniacal laughter. "So you've come back for more? Good. I was disappointed when I thought it was over. Now prepare to die." Broly released another ki blast, which Juu flew above to dodge. Anticipating her move, the super saiyan appeared in front of her and landed a solid punch to the jaw.

Juu caught herself and launched a barrage of ki attacks at the charging super saiyan. Broly bowled through the blasts, but Juu rushed in at the last minute and kicked his chin, but to her horror, Broly seemed to resist the attack and pushed her leg down with his chin. Juu tried to retreat, but Broly grabbed her arms before head butting her. Then he shoved a handful of ki into her abdomen, sending her flying back. Broly then controlled the blast, making it push her higher into the air. Juu kept ascending at high speed until the ki fizzled out. The blast was more damaging that it looked, and when it ended Juu felt to the ground helplessly.

Broly chuckled maniacally as he watched her fall to the ground. "Guess I have more power than I know what to do with. Oh well, time to hunt down Vegeta."

"Enough!" Vegeta shoved Nappa aside. "I am going out there to fight."

"Wait." Vegeta and Nappa turned wide-eyed to look at the young man. "Allow me to fight in place of you," said Gohan, looking ready and eager to jump into the fight. Vegeta could sense that his power was back at it's maximum, though he had no idea how much stronger he had gotten since becoming a super saiyan.

"When did you wake up?" asked Vegeta.

"I only woke up a few minutes ago," replied Gohan. "I can sense what's going on outside. Please let might fight for you. If you die then the saiyans will be without their leader. I promise to do you proud."

Vegeta's face quickly contorted into a smirk. "Alright then, go out there and show them true saiyan power. I'm looking forward to seeing how strong you've become. Also, may the guy who called me a coward pay." Gohan nodded before running past them and out into the fray.

* * *

In case you're wondering, Gohan has recovered his old memories, and I'll explain more about that later. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. One thing I'm a bit unsure about though was the ending scene where Gohan appears, should I have done it differently, and was it too abrupt?


	9. Bittersweet Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Raditz was currently fighting three Triceratons. Though they would easily be a match for the average saiyan, Raditz was able to hold his own against them. "Take that!" Raditz bashed his forearm over the frill of one of the Triceratons, knocking him out cold before kicking his unconscious body towards one of his comrades. The saiyan then blasted the two into oblivion with his Double Sunday attack. The third Triceraton circled around Raditz and started firing ki blasts from his laser, landing direct hit to Raditz' back.

After the attacks had created a sufficient smoke cloud, the Triceraton relented and chuckled, showing his bravado. "That should teach you!" However his eyes widened when Raditz suddenly appeared in front of him.

The saiyan grinned maliciously up at the larger, but terrified Triceraton. "So what exactly was that supposed to teach me?" Raditz immediately rammed his fist into the Triceraton's gut before he could answer. His fist began to glow with ki and a surge of ki erupted from the Triceraton's back moments later.

He casually wiped off bits of charred flesh that stuck to his armor. Then he looked up at the three ships floating in the stratosphere. He could see Glacer fighting a saiyan around the different looking one, but his attention quickly turned downward where he saw the super saiyan Broly who hovered over the city ominously. _This __is __crazy_, he thought to himself. _I __can __feel __it __his __power __is __rising._ Then he saw Juu's body lying unconsciously on one of the roofs. _This __isn__'__t __good, __and __I __can__'__t __find __Fasha __either._

Just then, a small group of saiyan soldiers approached him, asking for orders. Raditz realized that it was now up to him to command the troops. "Alright, I want all of you to focus your attacks on those ships. Attack together, that way you'll be better able to handle the Triceraton foot soldiers. Also, there is a rogue saiyan fighting one of our allies up there, do not be fooled into aiding him." Raditz then directed their attention to the super saiyan below them. "I'll do my best to stall him." With the orders given, the saiyans split up to carry out their orders.

Raditz stared nervously at the super saiyan below him before reluctantly descending to face him. He fired off a blast that made contact with Broly's head to catch the super saiyan's attention.

Broly looked up at Raditz, somewhat disappointed with what he saw. "You're nothing special, and yet you dare to challenge me." His face quickly contorted into a maniacal grin. "Oh well, too late to back out now!" He charged as he said this, but just before he reached Raditz, a black boot connected with his cheek, and sent him hurtling through the air.

Raditz was slightly taken aback at the golden haired figure hovering in front of him, but his surprised quickly gave way to a smile. "Nice to have you back nephew," he said with a mixture of happiness and relief.

"I'm glad to be back," replied Gohan with a smile, but his expression turned serious when he sensed Broly getting back up. "I'll deal with this super saiyan. You should probably go help the others peck off the foot soldiers." Raditz didn't want to argue with that so he left Broly up to Gohan and flew up to help the other saiyans.

Broly was overcome with laughter at the sight of Gohan. "Finally, I get to fight another Super Saiyan. You must be Gohan." His muscles began to bulge, causing him to dwarf even Nappa. Broly roared as his full power finally surged through him. Moments later he appeared in front of Gohan.

Reacting quickly, Gohan deflected an oncoming punch before using it as leverage to land a solid kick to Broly's neck. Unlike all the other attacks, this one caused Broly some pain. Gohan the rotated his hips, landing another kick with his other leg to the other side of Broly's neck. This blow carried more force and sent the larger saiyan flying several feet.

Broly recovered and charged at Gohan again, swinging his fists wildly. The attack came faster than anticipated and Gohan struggled to dodge all the blows. Finally, he was forced to cross his arms and block an oncoming fist, which sent him flying back several feet. As Broly pursued him, Gohan let off a volley of small ki blasts, which stung as they hit the larger saiyan. Gohan then appeared in front of Broly and landed a punch to his gut, causing him to double over. However, Broly's face contorted into an evil grin as he overcame the pain and grabbed Gohan in a bear hug.

"Impressive, he said. "You're actually able to hurt me. Nobody has even been able to do that before." He almost sounded happy about it. Then he flew towards the ground at high speed, attempting to slam Gohan into the ground like he did with Juu. However Gohan, who had been gathering his ki, unleashed a powerful explosive wave that felt like sharp needles stabbing into Broly's skin. This caused Broly to let him go prematurely, and the saiyan hybrid rebounded fast, landing a kick to Broly's chin. Broly went flying skyward, but Gohan caught up and grabbed onto his leg before slamming him into the ground.

The attacks hurt, but Broly wasn't seriously injured. _He __might __not __be __a __good __fighter, __but __he__'__s __strong __and __can __take __hits_, thought Gohan worriedly. Broly looked up with a small before charged Gohan at full speed. _He__'__s __surprisingly __fast __too_, thought Gohan as he sidestepped a punch, _but __I __think __I__'__ve __got __a __feel __for __his __style._

Broly was caught off guard when Gohan was able to get behind him and land a sharp blow between his shoulder blades. Gohan then followed up by grasping Broly's tail, causing the saiyan considerable pain, but not nearly enough to cripple him. He then swung Broly around by the tail before letting him flying, and then overtook him before sending him up with a kick to the chin.

However, as Gohan pursued him, Broly suddenly sent a ki blast hurtling towards the ground. Gohan realized that it had enough power to destroy the planet and stopped to fire his own blast to intercept it. This gave Broly the chance to come down and land a powerful hammer blow to the top of Gohan's head.

Gohan felt his body go limp for a moment as he fell to the ground. The feeling returned moments after he landed and he rolled out of the way moments before Broly's foot slammed into the ground. Rolling onto his feet, he leapt into the air before Broly could grab his leg and then slammed his leg into the side of Broly's head.

Broly leapt into the air, surprisingly nimble for his size. He tried to land a punch, but Gohan deflected the blow and slammed his elbow between Broly's shoulder blades. Then he did a mid-air twist before slamming his knee into the same spot. Then he grabbed Broly by his hair and did a mid-air back flip to slam him, facedown, onto the ground. Broly quickly rolled onto his back and fired a large ball of ki, which Gohan dodged.

* * *

Paragus grabbed Glacer by the horns and sent him sailing, painting from the effort. However he noticed a large ball of ki heading towards him and dodged moments before the blast could kill him. "What was that?" He looked down and his eyes widened. He saw Broly fighting Gohan, and the larger saiyan appeared to be at a disadvantage due to his inferior fighting style. _Oh __no! __Could __Broly __actually __lose?_ Then he shook his head in denial. _No! __Broly__'__s __probably __getting __angrier, __he__'__ll __win __eventually_, though after watching the battle, Paragus wasn't sure if he believed himself.

Glacer took advantaged of Paragus' distraction and rammed his fist into the saiyan's cheek. "It's unwise to take your eyes off the battlefield," he said. _I__'__m__glad__that__Gohan__'__s__back,_ he thought_,__at__least__we__know__he__'__ll__deal__with__Broly._ He then blocked an incoming fist from an angry Paragus.

"Do you think it matters that Gohan's back?" Paragus swung his fists frustrated; it resembled his sons fighting style in a way. Glacer had more stamina than him and it was starting to show. He tried to land a kick, but Glacer grabbed it with his foot before rolling back and hurling Paragus with it. Then he fired a ki blast, which Paragus blocked with his forearm. The saiyan was now panting heavily, struggling to fight on par with his opponent. "Even if Gohan's back and he is a super saiyan, I doubt he'd be a match for Broly."

"You never know," replied Glacer confidently. "I mean look at us? We started out even, but now you're lagging behind." He caught an oncoming fist from Paragus before ramming his own fist into Paragus' gut.

Paragus doubled over and backed away from his opponent. He felt angry, frustrated and humiliated and the worst part was that his son, his secret weapon, was currently tied up fighting a worthy opponent and couldn't come to his aid, even if he commanded it. I can't keep this up forever…we might have to retreat! How humiliating.

"What's wrong, are you scared?" Glacer couldn't help grinning at his superior position. The battle was now completely in his favor.

* * *

Traximus ducked behind a large chunk of rubble to avoid Mozar's lasers. As Mozar made short work of the protection, Traximus ran into the skeletal structure of a nearby building. Mozar flew after him in hot pursuit.

"There's no use hiding Traximus," he said as he hovered near the middle of the building. Then, the Triceraton commander aimed his laser at the building. "I'm going to blast you out!" He fired the laser, but Traximus erupted from one of the remaining glass windows moments before the blast hit the building. Caught off guard, Mozar instinctively blocked the oncoming axe with his armored forearms, causing the laser to get cut in half.

Traximus landed directly below Mozar with a grin on his face. He looked back up at the now disarmed commander. "I guess you've lost one of your advantages. If you want to continue, you'll have to come down and fight me with your bare hands."

Clenching his metallic fist, Mozar growled angrily. "Do you think I'm afraid of engaging you in close combat?" Mozar descended to Traximus' level and leaned away from an axe swipe before attempting to strike back with a roundhouse kick. However, Traximus leapt back to avoid the blow. Mozar quickly realized that the axe gave Traximus the advantage. "You think it's honorable to fight me with that axe? Why don't you fight with your bare hands?"

Traximus knew that Mozar was trying to goad him into letting go of his advantage. "You were perfectly happy to shoot at me from the air with your laser. Your hardly in a position to talk to me about honor." With that, Traximus charged at Mozar and swung his axe, missing twice before surprising Mozar with a punch to the jaw. He then landed a roundhouse kick, sending the commander into the remnants of the destroy building.

Mozar got up just as Traximus was about to swing his axe and caught the weapon between his palms. He then did a backward role to throw Traximus off him. Leaping to his feet Mozar turned around only find Traximus pointing the axe at his throat. "It's over Mozar," he said, but a moment later several ki lasers nailed him in the back.

As Traximus fell to the ground, unconscious, Mozar looked up and saw two Triceratons that had broken away from the rest of the group. "What are you two doing here," snapped Mozar.

The soldiers looked embarrassed. One of them spoke up timidly. "Um…sir, we just thought that we ought to help you apprehend the rebel.

"I didn't need your help!" Mozar was about to continue reprimanding them when a thought occurred to him. "Men, how is the battle with the saiyans going?"

"Well sir, it's not going as well as we'd hoped. Our forces are on the defensive…the saiyans are winning; we probably needed a bigger advantage."

Mozar looked down at Traximus' unconscious body as an idea occurred to him. "Looks like we'll have to retreat for now, and I think we now have just the bargaining chip we need to get us out of here without issue."

* * *

Zanramon paced about his onboard throne room aboard the Triceraton flagship. He knew that he was safe up in orbit, but he unsure of how the invasion was going. _What__'__s __going __on __down __there? __Did __they __succeed? __Off __course __they __did, __Broly __was __with __them__…__but __then __why __hasn__'__t __Mozar __confirmed __victory __yet?__"_

The large screen in the room turned on as it received an incoming transmission. Zanramon smiled, expecting good news from Commander Mozar. However, when Mozar's face appeared the Prime Leader instantly knew that something was wrong. "Um Prime Leader, I have some bad news and some good news."

Zanramon's mind immediately fixed on the bad news portion. "So what is it? What went wrong?"

"Well sir, it appears that Gohan woke up and is currently engaging Broly. As strong as he is, Broly doesn't seem to be winning, in fact the battle isn't going anywhere at all. We were relying too much on his strength and now that his hands are tied our other forces are taking heavy casualties."

Grabbing his horns in frustration, Zanramon screamed angrily. It was unprofessional, but Mozar was used to having his boss vent whenever he gave bad news. However Zanramon remembered the good news Mozar mentioned. "So what's the good news?"

Mozar chuckled before lifting Traximus' unconscious form in front of the screen. "I'm sure we can use him as a bargaining chip or we could use him as a shield to secure our retreat. Either way, this rebel is now at our mercy."

Laughing gleefully, Zanramon gave the impression that he hadn't been worried a few moments ago. "Excellent. That means that this invasion wasn't entirely fruitless after all. Very well Mozar, tell Paragus that we're pulling out. We'll come back with more reinforcements later."

"Yes Prime Leader," replied Mozar with a salute before signing off.

* * *

Glacer sent Paragus flying through his own ship, causing it to blow apart and fall to the ground. Several lizard men had managed to escape on jet packs before it happened, but most perished in the crash. When he recovered Paragus noticed the Triceraton forces retreating to their last remaining destroyer. "What's going on here?"

Glacer was about to continue his assault, but stopped when Commander Mozar appeared in front of him. "Stop or else I'll be forced to use Traximus here as a shield." He held the rebel by his shirt collar in front of him as if he were a shield. He then glanced back at Paragus. "Due to the unforeseen problems we think it's best if we retreat for now."

Paragus growled angrily, his saiyan instincts telling him to continue fighting to the death, however his rational side won out and he relented. "Very well." He then called out to his lizard men. "All of you get inside that last Triceraton destroyer! We're getting out of here!"

He then activated his gauntlet to call Broly. _"__Come__on__Broly!__We__'__re__leaving!__"_ Glacer tried to make a move to stop him, but Mozar held Traximus threateningly, which caused him to back off reluctantly.

Broly's headband glowed with the command Paragus had given him. He backed away from Gohan, clutching his head as his father's voice boomed through it. Gohan ceased fighting and stared at the larger saiyan with a bewildered look. "No! Father! I want to keep fighting!"

"_Enough __Broly,__"_ replied Paragus authoritatively, increasing the intensity of the control device. _"__You __can __continue __fighting __later. __We __have __to __leave __for __now. __We__'__ll __come __back __here __to __finish __this.__"_

Broly chuckled as his headband stopped glowing. "Well…it looks like you've gotten off easy this time, but be ready, cause I want our next battle to be just as much fun as this one." His entire body began to glow, and Gohan caught on just in time to put up a barrier and block the explosive wave. The blast was blinding, allowing Broly to take to the skies and scare off the saiyan troops that were currently making the Triceraton retreat difficult.

When Gohan looked up from behind his arms his eyes widened as he saw all the saiyans falling. They had been blinded and disoriented by Broly's move, but caught themselves in time to see the Triceraton destroyer ascending at high speed out of New Vegeta's atmosphere. The saiyans tried to shoot it down in the hopes that those inside would die in the void of space.

Unfortunately the men Triceratons had been prepared for this. Their ship could generate a ki shield by harnessing the ki of its occupents. Moments after the saiyans started firing, the blasts, a large ki shield went up, protecting the ship from even Raditz' Double Sunday attack. Gohan could sense Broly's power inside, which made him realize that they couldn't possibly penetrate that shield.

He powered down and decided to survey the battlefield for the injured. His eyes quickly landed on Juu who was now starting to regain consciousness. Landing next to her, Gohan knelt and tapped her cheek gently. "Hey…hey Juu."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, struggling to withhold the broad grin that was appearing on her face. As happy as she was to see him, she didn't want to make him too smug about it. "Gohan…you're back."

"It's good to be back," he said before trying to pick her up. However Juu stopped him and stood up on her own.

"You should help Fasha," she said. "She's in much worse shape than I am." Juu pointed at the woods, and Gohan began searching for her ki. "I'll try and help out as well."

"Alright," replied Gohan, though he couldn't help being slightly worried about her due to the damage she took from Broly. "Just don't push yourself too far." Now having located Fasha's ki he took off towards the wilderness to find her.

* * *

Glacer walked into the saiyan hospital with two wounded soldiers under each arm. He would've carried a third in his tail, but didn't trust his ability to be gentle when doing it. Vegeta was sitting on a couch in the lobby with Norcina, while Nappa was in the nearby cafeteria gorging himself.

'What's wrong?" Raditz walked up behind the changeling as he handed the two wounded saiyans to some stretcher-like robots that would carry them off to be treated. "Is the battle getting to you?"

"It's not that," replied Glacer shakily. "I've seen many wounded warriors. It's the Triceratons. They've captured Traximus." He turned to look at the surprised saiyan his eyes wide as with fear and worry. "They used him as a shield to secure their escape." His fists clenched in frustration. "I shouldn't have let him fight Commander Mozar on his own I should've helped him when and then taken Paragus."

"He wouldn't have forgiven you if you'd helped him without him asking," replied Raditz solemnly. "Both saiyans and Triceratons have strong warrior cultures. We idealize the one-on-one battle. If it were me, I would've insisted on fighting him alone as well."

"You're probably right," replied Glacer somberly. "He insisted on fighting alone even though he was at a disadvantage. He was brave, and I hate to think about what the Triceratons could be doing to him. I wouldn't put it past them to torture him for information." Taking a deep breath, Glacer, followed by Raditz, walked out of the hospital to gather more injured.

* * *

I hope the chapter title wasn't too much of a spoiler. I had a hard time coming up with a suitable name for it. If you have any suggestions I'll be happy to change the title to something else.


	10. Rebels Under Siege

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Juu dropped down onto the roof of the medical ward. After having brought wounded bodies into the hospital it felt good to be able to relax and let the robots take over the work. She heard someone walking onto the roof and smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Gohan politely. Juu made no protest so he sat down next to her, and stared out at the destroyed city before them. There were a few buildings left, but the city was leveled overall. "I heard that you tried to fight Broly by yourself."

"Off course," replied Juu, looking over at him with a proud grin. "I'm not about to let the men do all the fighting, though if Fasha hadn't helped me, the fight wouldn't have lasted as long as it did." She took a deep breath, her expression becoming more serious. "Will she be okay?"

"She will," replied Gohan. "She's tough and recovering from those injuries should make her and all the other saiyans much stronger." He then looked down as he contemplated what had happened to him while he was unconscious. "I've recovered my lost memories," he said with solemn look on his face. "They're all happy memories from when I was on Earth. All of them involve my father, mother and grandfather."

Juu felt somewhat worried about this. "How do you feel? I mean about having them back. Are you confused? According to what I know, you were a very different person back then." Hidden there was the implicit question, _do __you __hate __me __for __what __I __did __to __him?_

"They haven't affected me that much," replied Gohan. "I just…I guess I just have more respect for my father now. I'm still the person I became after my uncle took me from space. These memories…they just gave me a different outlook on life." He thought for a few moments until something else occurred to him. "One thing that has changed is that I feel more inclined to speaking politely to people," he added with a chuckle. "Maybe some things have rubbed off on me."

"I just hope you haven't changed too much," replied Juu in a calmer tone. "Still," she looked back at the ground, "you said all of your past memories are happy ones. Does that mean that you…that you wish you could go back to them? Do you wish that you'd never been taken into space?"

"Off course not," replied Gohan, looking down at her with a broad grin. "I appreciate them for what they were, but I wouldn't change a thing. Besides, if I hadn't been taken into space, you and I might never have met." He watched her, carefully judging her reaction.

"Do you really mean that?" She looked up into his eyes. _He __does __mean __it_, she thought as she read his eyes; they looked happy and sincere. She closed her eyes as he reached out to stroke her cheek. She sensed him leaning in and moment later their lips met.

* * *

On Planet Cold, the rebel soldiers were currently returning after letting their woolies graze. It was risky, but they had few options in terms of food and clothing. Several soldiers stood guard outside as their comrades led the woolies into the cave opening to one of their bases.

"That's the last of them," proclaimed one guard to the other, his tone conveying the relief at another successful foray. He then noticed a figure walking towards the base. It had a smooth silhouette and the moonlight seemed to reflect off of it in a way that gave it a shiny glow. The soldier's eyes widened in horror and recognition. He turned to his comrade who shared his fear. "Quickly! Send the warning out!"

The Cooler drone grinned as a black ball of energy formed in front of his forehead. He let it grow to the size of a baseball before letting fly into the cave opening. The blast caused the entire base to rumble, and sent word out to all the other drones that there was a fight in progress.

Several rebel soldiers rushed out and let looses a barrage of ki blasts from their ki lasers. The drone stood perfectly still, taking the full force of their attack without flinching. The rebels continued their assault, but to their horror, their attacks weren't doing any damage. A broad and sadistic grin appeared on the drones face. "My turn," he said before unleashing a powerful burst of ki that made all the ki lasers blow up.

The men were frozen in fear. One of them was able to take a step back, only to have his skull bashed in by the drone's fist. Another tried to avenge him with a kick to the head, only to have the drone grab his leg and break it with a powerful squeeze. The drone then stepped on his throat and began applying pressure. Two other soldiers punched him on either side of his metallic ears, but the drone barely felt it. Raising both his arms, the drone pointed at each of the soldier's chests before piercing them with a Death Beam.

The remaining soldiers realized that they couldn't win and began running away from the base in hopes of leading the drone away. However, the drone simply pecked them off with Death Beams, hitting them with pinpoint accuracy and killing them instantly, and laughing while he did it. With them gone, he turned his attention back to the soldier beneath him and stomped down hard, flattening his windpipe.

The alarm rang out through the rebel base, shaking many soldiers from their beds as they scramble in the hopes of putting down the threat before more drones arrived. Several soldiers realized that they couldn't hope to expel Cooler's drones and began sending out warnings to the other bases. One of the top bases on that list was the main base under Tunder's command.

* * *

The Z-Fighters rushed into the main control room where Tunder was receiving the transmission. He remained silent as he listened to his fellow rebels' last message. His fists were clenched tightly in silent rage at what Cooler's drones were doing to his fellow changelings. The transmission ended and Tunder turned to everyone in the room with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, but one of our bases has been lost to the enemy."

"Then why are we just standing here?" To Trunks, this was just like his timeline, where the androids controlled the planet and the drone's attack on another base was like hearing about an android attack all over again. "We can't just sit here and let them die!"

"I'm sorry," replied Tunder, "but they expressly told us not to come help them. We can't afford to make emotionally charged moves. Not with the resources that Cooler controls. He could easily crush us in a direct battle; his drones are too strong and in too high a number. Coming to their aid would only play into his hands and they know that."

Trunks was about to protest, but Piccolo put a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. "We're all hurting Trunks. In an ideal world we could come to their rescue, but practically, the odds are too far against us. We need to fight smartly and take the fight to Cooler, not let him decided where and when the battles occur."

One of the men working at the computer received another transmission. His face turned grim. "Our base closest to the capital was destroyed! They only had time to send us this transmission, and it contains some information that might be useful."

"Good," replied Tunder solemnly. "Let's hope that it allows us to defeat Cooler and end his reign of terror once and for all. Maybe then they'll all be able to rest in peace." He took a moment to compose himself. "Contact all other bases. Establish their condition and tell them all to lay low Cooler is attempting another purge. We need to lay low and not try anything until he stops."

"I can't just stand around," said Trunks, turning to leave. "I'm going to train." Tien and Piccolo followed suit.

* * *

Traximus groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He was bound against a wall and the cuffs had a draining effect on him, no doubt to prevent him from breaking them. "So you're finally awake" came a smug voice on the other side of his jail cells. It was a normal Triceraton guard, brimming with pride at the capture of the infamous Triceraton rebel. He turned to his equally smug companion. "Tell the Prime Leader that Traximus has woken up." The other one was more than happy to oblige and left Traximus alone with the guard.

It was a situation that Traximus dreaded. Not just because he was now trapped and at the mercy of a bitter and vengeful tyrant. "You're capture has sent a very important message to our people," said that guard. "Now that we've got you behind bars, the prisoners back home have become more obedient."

Traximus remained silent; this was what he feared most. He didn't need to wait more than ten minutes for the Prime Leader himself to arrive. Commander Mozar was by his side. Zanramon chuckled maliciously at the rebel who had managed to evade him for so long. Mozar on the other hand looked more reserved, and Traximus wondered why he wasn't proud of bringing him in.

"So Traximus, you've finally been put in your place," said Zanramon in a smug tone, with a slight chuckle in his voice. "I'd say that this situation suits you quite nicely. Maybe now you'll realize how foolish it was to defy me."

"You won't get that satisfaction Zanramon," replied Traximus defiantly. He could easily mask his dread with the outrage he currently felt for the Prime Leader. "I'll never regret anything that I've done, because I couldn't stand to see what you were doing to our once proud republic. This war will lead us to ruin and you know it!"

Zanramon laughed, and Mozar and the two guards joined in a few seconds later. "I find your speeches to be quite amusing. Tell me, how is leading our forces to glory and conquest ruining us. Our original home planet was destroyed many years ago, and we never got a new one, but once we win this war, we'll have several planets to choose from, including the saiyan home world."

"I haven't forgotten what the saiyans did to our original home planet," replied Traximus, "but they're under a new leadership now. This isn't like the old days when Freeza was still in control. However, if you continue down this path, the Triceratons will be no different than the saiyans were and while you continually pour resources into this war, people at home are forced to tighten their belts even further and many of our warriors end up losing their lives!"

Zanramon sensed the soldiers behind him mulling his words over, and it disturbed him. He slammed his fist into one of the walls of Traximus's jail cell in an attempt to intimidate him. "This is nothing more than mindless idealism! Force is the only way for us to get what we truly deserve and your treachery is what's cost us many lives! You're the reason we lost control of New Vegeta in the first place!" Zanramon turned to leave. "I've had enough of you! Guards, keep watch over him and make sure no one comes to save him!" He left the prison hall with Mozar behind him.

* * *

Cooler stood in a dark room with several monitors in front of him, which gave him different views of the planet. He received a mental transmission from on of his drones, indicating the destruction of a third rebel base. _Where __are __you? __Come __out __super __saiyan! __If __you __don__'__t __then __all __their __bodies __will __be __on __your __conscience!_

"_Did __you __find __where __the __main __rebel __base __is?__"_ he asked the drone impatiently.

"_Negative,__"_ replied the drone. _"__They __were __all __satellite __bases, __but __one __of __them __was __very __close __to __the __capital. __We __think __that __they __were __using __that __particular __base __to __gather __information __about __us.__"_

Cooler growled angrily, clenching his fists. He demanded nothing less than the utter destruction of the rebels. However, unlike his brother, he was able to quickly overcome his anger. _"__At __least __they __won__'__t __be __able __to __use __that __base __anymore. __Keep __at __it __and __make __sure __you __kill __as __many __of __them __as __possible!__"_

* * *

A saiyan ran up to Glacer who was standing outside the hospital. "Glacer, there is an incoming message from Tunder. It's impossible to establish further contact with Planet Cold right now." The saiyan then led Glacer to the makeshift communication room, which was now the only major source of interplanetary communication on New Vegeta.

Glacer was eager to find out what was going on in Planet Cold. Though his main worries were now about what the Triceratons were doing to Traximus, his fellow rebel, he still felt a special duty to his home world. When he entered the room, Glacer was glad to see that the saiyans had kept the video ready for him.

Tunder's face appeared on the screen and Glacer could immediately tell that he was upset. This immediately set the tone for the video. _"__I__'__m __sorry __that __I __have __to __contact __you __like __this __instead __of __talking __to __you __directly, __but __Cooler __is __currently __conducting __another __purge. __Please __don__'__t __try __to __contact __us, __we__'__ll __contact __you __when __we __feel __it__'__s __safe __again.__"_

Glacer clenched his fist with frustration. _There__'__s __nothing __I __can __do __to __help __them_, he thought.

Tunder continued speaking. _"__I__'__m __also __sorry __to __say __that __three __of __our __bases __have __been __destroyed __as __of __this __message. __One __of __them __being __the __base __we __had __closest __to __the __capital. __That__'__s __the __base __we __were __in __when __we __rescued __you __from __Cooler. __The __one __bit __of __good __news __is __that __they __did __give __us __some __more __information __before __the __drones __finished __them __off. __It __might __help __us __take __the __fight __to __him __and __end __this __nightmare. __Until __then, __all __I __can __say __is __that __we__'__ll __never __give __up.__"_ His face disappeared from the screen to be replaced with static.

Glacer was still upset about what was going on, but he trusted Tunder to deal with the situation, and the warriors from Earth would be there to help him as well. He turned to leave the room, without another word.

* * *

Gohan tilted his head sideways, resting it on top of Juu's. The cyborg was currently leaning on his shoulder. They were both staring out at the city, but Juu soon closed her eyes and sighed happily. "It's nice to catch a breather," said Gohan to her, "even if it's in a destroyed city like this."

Juu chuckled. "You've only fought once in this entire war, while I've been worrying over you, and helping others. I beat Lord Slug of the big five, helped save Glacer from Cooler, and held Broly off before you woke up. For me a breather isn't enough." She took a deep breath. "Still, it's nice to know that I don't have to worry about you anymore. You can look after yourself now."

Gohan couldn't help smiling at her. "You have changed after all. Even when I was unconscious, you chose to look after me and help others. It's nothing like the person you pretended to be when you were with Seventeen and Eighteen." He looked back up at the sky, taking his head off of Juu's. "I can sense him out there," he said ominously.

Juu knew exactly whom Gohan was talking about. "You're much better at sensing things than I am. I can't imagine what it must feel like being able to sense him all the time." Yawning. She laid back and closed her eyes. "I 'm not sure if I could sleep if I kept sensing him across the galaxy."

"It's not as bad as you make it out to be," replied Gohan. "I can block him out if it's at that distance." He looked over at Juu who was nodded drowsily with her eyes closed. "You should go to bed Juu. You've been under a lot of stress."

"I'll do that," replied Juu. "You'd better not get yourself knocked unconscious while I'm asleep." Gohan chuckled as she got to her feet and left the rooftop to find a bed.

When she was gone, Gohan looked back up at. The sky. He didn't just sense Cell, but Broly as well. _He__'__s __a __more __immediate __threat, _thought Gohan worriedly. _I__'__m __sure __I__'__m __the __better __fighter, __but __he __seemed __to __be __able __to __take __many __hits, __and __he__'__ll __be __even __stronger __the __next __time __we __fight. __I__'__ve __got __to __be __very __careful._

Gohan stood up and flew off towards the forest. He had to train to make sure he could keep up with Broly the next time they fought. His mind was also on Cell, who had beaten him easily in their last battle and now held free reign over the entire galaxy.

Goten watched Trunks doing pushups in the rebel's underground training area. The super saiyan had been at it for an hour, determined to push himself to higher levels of power in the hopes of taking on Cooler and his army of drones.

"I'm worried about him as well," said Piccolo as he sat behind Goten, in a meditative pose. "He's reliving the way things were in his original timeline, where he was forced to hide from the androids. The only option he had back then was to get stronger, and hope that he could beat them with his new strength."

"I don't like Trunks this way," replied Goten worriedly. "He's too serious now. He might hurt himself if he keeps training like this."

"Don't worry about that," replied Piccolo. "At least he knows better than to injure himself in training, though you'll probably have to carry him to bed when he's done." Satisfied that he'd reassured the young saiyan, Piccolo resumed his mediation, blocking out all external noises.

* * *

I have some exams coming up so the next chapter might be a few days later, but I'll try to keep up current pace of roughly 1 chapter per week. Also, has anyone else noticed the wierd thing that happens to italics in uploaded documents?


	11. The Setup

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Trunks stumbled into the room he shared with Goten before collapsing onto the bed. He had spent the past three days undergoing intense training, only eating one huge meal in the morning. All those days had ended like this one, with the exhausted demisaiyan stumbling into his room and collapsing onto his bed.

Goten, who had finished his lighter training session earlier, was reading a book his mother had given him, after eating a hearty dinner. He looked over at Trunks with a worried expression. "You're pushing yourself too hard," he said seriously, as if he were the oldest among them. "Piccolo and Tien agreed with me."

"Sorry to worry you," replied Trunks apologetically as he rolled over onto his back before slowly changing out of his sweaty clothes and tossing them to the side (to be properly dealt with in the morning). "It's just that…it's like living in my original timeline all over again. Cooler's just like the androids. He's destroying many innocent people and there's nothing we can do about it. All I can do is push myself to even greater levels of strength in the hopes of gaining enough power to end this nightmare. I failed in my world and I won't fail in this one."

Goten frowned at Trunks who, now in his nightclothes, lay helplessly on his bed. "You look like your body's made of jelly. If Cooler attacked us now you'd be completely useless." He was beginning to lightly scold Trunks, a habit he'd inherited from his mother. "You should rest tomorrow. Look at me, I'm not training as hard as you are, but I'd be able to fight if Cooler attacked now. You shouldn't burn yourself out like that."

"I see your point," replied Trunks, feeling almost embarrassed that Goten of all people would call him out on it. "I promise that I'll take tomorrow off, though I'll probably still be feeling very sore," he added with a chuckle. He closed his eyes and remembered something his mother had told him. "My mom once told me that my father used to train the way I do. He was so obsessed with surpassing Goku that he'd spend as many waking hours as possible in the gravity room, pushing himself. Maybe that explains where I got this habit. Your older brother…the version of him from my world, also used to tell me that I pushed myself too hard."

Goten sighed and opened his book again. "Just keep your promise and don't do any training tomorrow."

Trunks chuckled before slowly finding his way under the covers of his bed. _I __can__'__t __believe __a __kid __is __lecturing __me_, he thought. _Oh __well, __I__'__ll __probably __be __thanking __him __tomorrow. __This __training __really __has __taken __its __toll __on __me. __I __wonder __how __strong __I__'__ll __be __once __I__'__ve __fully __recovered._ After closing his eyes, Trunks let sleep take him, the weight of his exhaustion was finally catching up to him, like it had for the past two nights.

Goten finished the chapter he was reading and turned off his bedside light before falling asleep himself, though he wasn't nearly as exhausted as Trunks.

* * *

Cooler was pacing about his control room when the screen in front of him indicated an incoming signal from Dr. Dread. The doctor's face appeared a few moments after Cooler accepted the call.

"The Triceratons have officially backed off from New Vegeta for the moment. Even Broly was unable to guarantee victory." Cooler's eyes widened in shock. "I know it's hard to imagine, but Paragus told me what happened. Gohan is back and he's at least on par with Broly. He's a super saiyan, something we never counted on, but I'm sure we'll be able to adapt to this new turn of events."

"This will definitely make things more difficult," said Cooler worriedly. "I should try to find the rebel's main base as fast as possible so that I can send some of my drones to assist you."

"Why don't you start blowing up the caves? That should eventually draw them out," said Dr. Dread, pointing out the obvious option.

"I would do that," replied Cooler with a hint of frustration, "but I don't want to recklessly destroy my planet's mineral resources. The caves contain important supplies of katchin. It's better if I find some way to draw them out or locate their bases."

"You have a point there," replied the doctor thoughtfully. "Perhaps if I found you another planet with a plentiful source of katchin, you would be able to wage total war against the rebels. Anyway, I just want you to know that the battle has become harder. Try to eliminate the rebels as quickly as possible."

"I will," replied Cooler, and the communication ended. His chest heaved; as if he were taking a deep breathe. It was a calming response. Though his metallic body eliminated his need to breathe, his mind still contained the instincts of his species. He could feel the frustration of his drones when they followed up on false leads of spent our checking out caves to find that the rebels were either not there or had long since evacuated. However, he quickly received another transmission, and it coming from one of his satellites.

* * *

Tunder looked at the computer screen behind one of his men. "What does the data show?" His voice carried an air of anxiousness.

"Cooler can apparently control and communicate with his drones using telekinesis. His robotic body has amplified telekinetic abilities, making his drones like an extension of his own body. They can operate autonomously, but he's always connected to them."

"That explains how he's able to synchronize his forces," said Tunder thoughtfully. "You say they are like extensions of his body, does that mean that he can feel their emotions…even their physical pain?"

"I don't know," replied the soldier at the computer. "It seems plausible though. We won't ever know unless we try something, and that will be very challenging. First we'll have to do something to a drone, which itself is very risky, and we'll have to somehow monitor Cooler himself to see how he reacts."

"Not necessarily," replied Tunder. "If Cooler can feel his drones' emotions, then they can feel his. If we do something to a drone, then maybe we can measure his reaction by observing other drones. We'll have to capture a few drones first to do that, and I'm sure Trunks and Piccolo have more than enough strength to do that considering the power levels we've measured from them."

Tunder left the room to talk it over with Piccolo, and soon found him meditating in the training area. Piccolo immediately sensed the changeling's presence and opened his eyes. "Is there something on your mind, I feels like you have a plan," said Piccolo.

"I do," replied Tunder. "However it will be risky and we'll need you and Trunks for it. We learnt that Cooler has a telekinetic link with all of his drones. We might be able to exploit that to our advantage, but first, we'll need to capture a few drones to test it out on, and that will be the hard part."

"I understand," replied Piccolo as he stood up. "It might be risky, but it's better than just hunkering down here and training. I'm sure Trunks will agree, but I'll have to run it by him first." Tunder nodded before leaving the training area, while Piccolo left to go look for Trunks.

* * *

Cooler was pacing the room, his mechanical tail lashing about like an agitated snake when his system detected a blip on its satellite based radar. _I __wonder __what __that __is,_ he thought, commanding his satellite to zoom in on the image. His eyes soon widened with shock as he felt a sense of serendipity take over. There was a caravan of woolies on the move, and they were being herded by changelings attempting to pass off as simple herdsmen, though their large size betrayed them to be members of the warrior class.

"Calculate their course both ways," ordered Cooler, capitalizing on the situation. His computer soon presented him with an image of where the caravan could have come from and where it was likely headed. The path was more or less straight and efficient, and would take the group through a mountainous region where they would be hard to detect, even by satellite. "It's an ideal place to resupply," said Cooler, as if he was speaking to the rebels.

Cooler could feel an ecstatic laugh welling up inside him, but suppressed it in order to communicate with his drones. _"__I __want __you __to __intercept __that __caravan,__"_ he said to all of them. _"__The __three __closest __will __go __while __the __others __will __remain __on __standby __in __case __something __goes __wrong.__"_ With the orders given, Cooler turned his attention back to the computer screen, to monitor the action.

* * *

"Let's stop here for now," said Tunder, emerging from an enclosed canopy on top of the leading woolly. All of the large beasts had a tent-like canopy over their back, much like the canopy over a horse-drawn wagon. Tunder's face would have remained invisible to the satellites if he had stayed under the canopy.

"We're only at the edge of the mountains," said one of the soldiers. "Are you sure it's wise to show your face out here?"

"Don't worry;" replied Tunder calmly, "this is exactly where we need to be. We're not completely defenseless against the drones, remember?" The soldier quickly realized what his leader was talking about and threw a brief glance at the two woollies bringing up the rear. "Alright everyone, the base is only a few miles away, and when we get the signal, we're all going to make a mad dash for it. I'm sorry to say this, but anyone who cannot make it in time will be left for dead, though you all knew that before you signed up for this mission." The soldiers clenched the fist of their dominant hand and thumped it against their chests as a sign of valor and acceptance. "It won't be long before the drones arrive, we must have the mirrors in place by then."

The soldiers sprang into action, unloading the mirrors from the woollies and placing them at the exact locations and angles that Tunder specified. There were two large mirrors leaning against the mountainous faces, oriented towards the sky, as well as numerous smaller mirrors scattered in front of them. The soldiers then put on special goggles, which looked like they would help protect their eyes from sandstorms.

Less than ten minutes passed before three shiny specs appeared on the horizon, flying towards the caravan at high speed. "They're here," called one of the men to alert those that had not seen the drones. The three figures landed several feet away from the caravan to assess the situation from a perceived safe distance.

One of them locked-on to Tunder who made no attempt to hide, which showed the pride, he held as a freedom fighter. "So the rebel's second in command is here," he said calmly, speaking as if he were Lord Cooler. "Tell me, why would Glacer allow you, his most trusted subordinate, to come out in the open like this during a purge no less?"

_They __don__'__t __know __that __he __left __the __planet_, thought Tunder. "He has his reasons," replied Tunder as if he were not lying, "Off course I'll never tell you what those reasons are."

Another Drone glanced curiously at the mirrors that had been setup. "I wonder why you'd waste several perfectly good mirrors like this. It was a wasted effort." He raised his hand to point his index finger at Tunder, who stood facing him unwaveringly. He was about to release a Death Beam when his eyes widened and a foot connected with the side of his head.

Piccolo, Trunks, and Tien came bursting out of their canopies, so fast that the woolies only realized something had happened they their shredded canopies crashed to the ground next to them. Trunks and Piccolo immediately went for the drones, while Tien fired a solar flare at the mirrors.

The mirrors reflected the solar flare out over a wide area, not only blinding the drones, but also blocking the views of Cooler's orbiting satellites. The drones cringed and covered their now blinded eyes, and were helpless against Piccolo, and Trunks who along with everyone else, had come prepared with special goggles that blocked the effects of the attack.

It only took a few moments for the saiyan and Namekian to incapacitate the drones, by ripping off their limbs, and carry them off towards the nearest rebels' base. Tien, along with several other soldiers who he'd taught the technique to kept the solar flare going long enough for the others to escape. The woolies began to panic and shook off their canopies before running off into the wilderness. Finally, Tien and the few remaining soldiers quickly shattered their mirrors with ki blasts before followed their comrades.

* * *

Trunks collapsed onto his bed at the other rebel base, panting heavily. Tien looked down at him with concern. "Hey Trunks, what's wrong? You wouldn't normally be that after a fight of that level."

"I pushed myself too hard yesterday," he replied between deep breaths. "Goten warned me about overtraining myself, so I promised him that I'd take it easy today. Guess I'm paying the price now."

"You should let me and Piccolo handle things until you've recovered. You shouldn't push yourself too far." Tien then left to let Trunks rest.

Trunks slowly brought his breathing under control, as the effects of bolting into the rebel base began to subside. _I __feel __so __vulnerable_, he thought, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of drowsiness spread. _I __don__'__t __think __I __can __move__…__if __something __happened __right __now, __I__'__d __be __completely__…_His drowsiness got to him, and Trunks slowly dropped his line of though. Moments later, he drifted away into a deep sleep.

* * *

Tien joined Piccolo in what appeared to be a cross between a lab and a torture chamber. The three drones where secured to a wall, with a glass panel separating the observers from them. There were several robotic arms attached to the ceiling that prodded the drones, while devices attached to their heads measure the mental response.

Tunder and Piccolo were looking over the shoulders of the rebel scientists as they monitored the brainwave patterns of the three drones. "It's as we thought," said one of the scientists. "Whenever we stimulate one drone, the other two seem to react on a deep level. They aren't necessarily overcome by it, but are quite aware of it on an intimate level."

"So basically they're in each other's heads," Tunder repeated in his own words. "So Cooler can used them to share information, however, inflicting pain on one won't cripple the others."

"Yes," replied the scientist.

"This will definitely be a problem," said Tien. "They can coordinate their attacks effectively, but we can't use that to our advantage."

"Maybe we can," replied Piccolo. "They can share information quickly and efficiently, but if the information being passed around is false, it could be very harmful to them." The Namekian then cupped his chin. "The question is what kind of false information could we spread to potentially cripple Cooler."

"Maybe if we lead him into a trap like before," said Tien thoughtfully. "We could trick him into attacking us, and then draw him out. Perhaps I could use my solar flare to blind him as well, and that would leave him vulnerable to you and Trunks."

"Sounds interesting," replied Tunder, "but it'll take time to plan something like that out, and I doubt that Cooler would fall for another ambush anytime soon. In fact, he might actually be better prepared to deal with your solar flare the next time around." He walked past them towards the labs exit. "I think we should all get some rest for now. Something will probably come up later, that goes for you guys as well," he said to the scientists working on the drones before leaving the room.

* * *

Cooler was seething in his control room as he replayed the events of the ambush in his head. _What __did __they __do? __How __did __they __blind __my __drones __and __satellites?_ After looking over the array they setup he came to a quick conclusion. _The __mirrors__…__so __that__'__s __how __they __did __it, __but __what __happened __after __that? __Was __that __super __saiyan __involved __in __this? __He __had __to __be __in __order __for __them __to __pull __it __off._ Unfortunately, he could only see what his drones and satellites had seen and their memories ended with the bright flash.

Before he could continue thinking, he felt a mental pulse from one of his drones. _That__'__s __odd, __why __is __one __of __my __drones __struggling __to __contact __me? __Communications __aren__'__t __down._ He then received a telepathic message from another drone, this one coming out clearly.

"_Lord Cooler, I felt a strange pulse coming from one of the lost drones when I was searching the site of the ambush. Did you feel it as well?"_

"_I __did, __but __I __didn__'__t __know __who __it __was __from,__"_ Cooler replied. _"__Perhaps __it__'__s __because __you __are __closer __to __their __location __then __I __am. __Maybe __we __can __use __this __to __locate __them __and __the __rebel __base __they__'__re __being __held __in. __Continue __monitoring __the __area __and __report __back __to __me __when __something __comes __up.__"_

If he had a regular mouth in his current form, Cooler would have grinned broadly. The promise of a golden opportunity seemed to instantly turn his mood around. _Soon __Super __Saiyan__…__I __will __make __you __and __all __of __the __rebels __pay __for __all __the __grief __you've __given __me. __You__'__ll __soon __know __why __the __Cold __family __belongs __at __the __top._

* * *

This took a lot longer than I wanted it to, but it was a hard chapter to write since I didn't know how to pull it off. I wanted to get things moving on Planet Cold, so this, and probably the next chapter will be exclusively focused on it. On a side note, hard chapter to write + recently coming off exams + newfound addiction (or readdiction) to pokemon games makes a bad combination for updating.


	12. Chinks in Armor

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Goten was sparring with one of the soldiers. When others had left him behind to perform their high-risk mission and the soldiers had offered to help train him until they could safely return. They were stronger than him, but he was slowly catching up. It wasn't long before he'd worked up a sweat. Fighting on, he eventually felt his muscles ache with the effort he was putting in.

The soldiers let Goten attack them to his hearts content, occasionally striking back with an unexpected punch or kick. "You're doing well Goten," said one soldier before he traded places with another. The new soldier deflected a punch before spinning around to catch Goten with a tail swipe. However the demisaiyan smiled, triumphantly as he caught the tail and pulled one of his father's signature moves. The solider was hurled towards a nearby war, but quickly rebounded, matching Goten's smile as he sailed forward to land a punch. Goten crossed his arms, but was sent several feet back.

Goten's forearms were now bruised, and fell onto his back, breathing heavily to catch his breathe. The soldier chuckled, before helping the young saiyan to his feet. "You should call it quits now. Your body needs rest."

"You're right," replied Goten as he rotated his shoulders and flexed his arms to gauge his muscle soreness. _I hope Trunks is getting some rest_, he thought worriedly as he made his way to the showers.

* * *

Trunks felt groggy and stiff as his world shook. He could hear the blaring alarm and the sounds of frantic voices. _Something bad is happening._ It was futile to attempt sitting up, his body felt heavy, and his muscles ached when he attempted to move. _Can't move_. Another blast rocked the base, shaking Trunks into further levels of consciousness.

The door to his room burst open and Tien ran inside. He was out of breathe, but otherwise unharmed. "Cooler found us! He must've been able to detect his drones through their psychic link." He realized something was wrong when the demisaiyan failed to sit up. "What's wrong? The base is under attack, we need your help."

"Can't move," replied Trunks worriedly as he tried to sit up. _I should have listened to Goten_, he thought ashamedly. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't let him. Tien hurried over and helped him sit up, though Trunks knew that he'd be unable to maintain the position without the extra support. "Sorry," he said regretfully.

"Don't mention it," replied Tien. "I'll have to carry you to safety. Piccolo is holding them off so the others can escape. Luckily, Glacer had the base prepared in case something like this happened." Tien carried Trunks through the corridors passed several soldiers that were going to help Piccolo. "Almost there," but before he could go further an explosion knocked him onto his back, causing Trunks to land a few feet away from him.

Trunks managed to turn his head to look at Tien. The human lay unconscious on the ground near him. Then he saw a metallic leg standing behind Tien as well as a matching tail behind it. _No…I…I'm completely useless…just like before._ Before he could figure things out, he felt a foot connect with his side, sending him into the nearby wall of the hallway. Now that he was leaning against the wall he could see his attacker.

The cyborg grabbed Trunks by the shirt collar and lifted him into the air. If he had a mouth, Cooler would have grinned broadly as he lifted the demisaiyan higher, causing his body to hang limp as if he were a rag doll. "I expected you to put up more of a fight when we met." He let go, and Trunks landed on the floor uncomfortably. "I was hoping to beat you at your best, but it looks like you've done most of the damage for me," he said less cheerfully.

Trunks slowly turned to look up at him, glaring defiantly. However, his eyes widened when he saw that Cooler had picked Tien up. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be taking your friend as collateral. If you want him back, you'll have to face me at full strength. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a base to destroy." He turned his back on Trunks, walking away nonchalantly with Tien slung over his shoulder.

"No!" Trunks tried to get up, but he was only able to raise his upper body and watch helplessly as Cooler disappeared into the flames. His arms soon gave in and he collapsed, lying on the floor for several minutes before he heard a familiar voice.

"Trunks, what happened here?" Piccolo knelt beside the fallen warrior before gently picking him up and letting him lean on his shoulder. "I sensed Tien disappearing from the base, wasn't he supposed to be with you?"

"Cooler captured Tien," replied Trunks weakly as a few tears streaked down his cheeks. "There was nothing I could do about it."

Piccolo clenched the fist of his free hand angrily. "Damn it! If I could've sense his presence here…anyway, do you think you can walk?"

Trunks looked down, allowing his hair to obscure his eyes before shaking his head. "No," he replied ashamedly. "My body won't let me move much."

"Then there's no helping it. I'll have to carry you out of here. Most of the rebels have either escaped or were killed in the attack. We don't know what happened to Tunder. There's a cave a fairly short distance away from here that should be secure. Cooler apparently doesn't know about it, so several of us agreed to meet up there." Without another word, Piccolo hoisted Trunks over his should before heading towards the cave he had just spoken of.

* * *

"Hello there," said Nail soon after his face appeared on the monitor at the makeshift saiyan headquarters. "At least we can communicate again. We've also established communication with several other planets that the Triceratons currently control. They need our help. Apparently they are using some large robots to suppress the rebel forces. Those robots are supposed to be immensely strong."

Nappa, who was currently on duty in the control room immediately, recognized the description of the mechs that the Triceratons had defeated Vegeta with. "They used those same robots here. Assuming they're the same models, you'll need someone at the super saiyan level to defeat them. I'm not joking; they're really that strong. The best you can hope for is to destroy them when they're not in use, like we did here."

"Alright, I get it," replied Nail, somewhat taken aback by how seriously Nappa took the robots. "I'll be sure to pass the warning on to them. However, right now, we're just trying to re-establish the channels of communication. How are you holding up on New Vegeta. Can you afford to send some reinforcements to help the rebel in these other planets?"

"I don't know for sure, but I doubt it considering that our numbers have taken a hit, and Vegeta isn't fully recovered. Once we finish rebuilding the healing chamber, our strength will recover much faster."

"I see, replied Nail. "on a side note, Dende was curious about Gohan. He'd tried to heal him shortly after Slug was defeated, but Gohan was still unconscious. Has his condition changed?"

Nappa grinned broadly. "I'm happy to report that Gohan's fully recovered. He actually helped us expel the Triceratons." His expression turned more serious as he remembered one of the major players in that battle. "Actually, Gohan really saved us back there, because without him, we'd all be dead now. Apparently the Big Five have their own super saiyan on their side."

The Namekian gasped, something that seemed out of character for a hardened warrior. "That honestly sounds scary, though I take it that Gohan was able to hold his own against him since you're all still alive over there. Anyway, elder Mori said that we should try to drive the Big Five back to their strongholds. After Slug was repelled from our planet, we only faced token attempts to conquer us. We think that their forces might be spread thinner than they'd like us to believe and that super saiyan obviously can't be on every planet at the same time."

"I agree," replied Nappa. "A collective offensive will probably throw them off balance. I'll have to talk this over with King Vegeta before I can give you an official response though."

"That's fine," replied Nail with a nod. "That's all I have to talk about for now. Feel free to contact us whenever you get your answer, though we'll try to call you again in a few days." After brief good byes, the transmission ended and Nappa left immediately to go talk to Vegeta.

He met Gohan in the hallway. "Oh hello Gohan," said Nappa, surprised because didn't expect to see him heading towards the communications room. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk with people on other planets to find out if there's any sign of Cell." Just thinking about the android caused him to clench his fists so that his pent up feelings frustration wouldn't show up on his face. "That android is currently roaming the galaxy unchallenged, and I at least want to know where it is."

"Well I do have some good news," replied Nappa. "The Namekian, Nail called just a few minutes earlier. The interplanetary communication system is coming back online, and it looks like the Big Five's forces are spread more thinly than they'd like us to believe. If we can attack them in enough places at the same time, we might be able to force them back to their stronghold."

"So you were on your way to ask Vegeta for the go-ahead." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact, and Nappa nodded, confirming it. "Well I think it would definitely be better than sitting around here." Then a Vegeta like smirk appeared on his face. "Besides, I want to fight that bulky super saiyan again. It'll be good practice for fighting Cell later on."

Nappa couldn't help chuckling at that. "I agree, and I wish I was stronger so I could fight him too. I'm sure Vegeta would rather go on the offensive as well. Anyway, I'll see you later." He patted Gohan on the shoulder before continuing to find Vegeta

Vegeta was with his wife, Norcina and their child. The young one sat on the ground, watching his parents sparring. Vegeta wasn't at his maximum yet but he wanted to at least get in some light exercise, though his punches were sill flying faster than the human eye can see. However, they both stopped when Nappa entered the room.

"I have news from Namek," said Nappa without needing to be asked. He proceeded to tell Vegeta what Nail had told him. "So basically, if we were to mount a sufficient offensive on multiple fronts, we should be able to push the Triceratons away from many of the planets they're currently occupying."

"Yes, that does sound appealing," replied Vegeta after a moment's thought. "The problem is that we're not strong in number. There are only a few hundred of us left and a several of us, myself included, are not in peak fighting condition. We'll need as many warriors as possible here to protect our own planet, so we cannot afford to send enough troops to help out other planets. We can send a few, but nothing short of a super saiyan could help turn the tide."

Nappa was stumped until something else occurred to him. "What about Gohan and the cyborg? He's a super saiyan and she's at the level of one, and they're both capable of reaching the other planets in a short amount of time. We'll only be short two people, and most of our forces will still be here to hold down the fort."

Vegeta smiled at the thought. "Yes…sending a crack squad out to assist other planets while the main force stays at home is a good idea, but I won't feel safe sending Gohan out until I've fully recovered or until we can verify Broly's location. If Broly comes here while Gohan is away and before I've recovered, it wouldn't matter how many soldiers we have here."

"I agree," replied Nappa. "Well, that's all I have to report. What should I do now?"

"Inform Nail of our situation," replied Vegeta, "and then tell Gohan about your idea. I feel like I'm close to recovering, so he should get ready, and talk it over with the cyborg."

"Understood," replied Nappa before bowing to Vegeta, then Norcina, and giving their child a small smile. He then left for the control room where he found Gohan talking to an alien that resembled Cui. The alien appeared distressed and Gohan looked anxious.

"What's going on?" Nappa walked up to Gohan, looking at him, and then to the screen with the alien's image on it.

"It's Cell," replied Gohan angrily. "That monster just wreaked havoc on his planet," he said, directing Nappa's attention to the alien onscreen.

"It came out of nowhere," said the alien in a distressed tone. "At first we were happy that the Triceratons' ships were destroyed, but then it turned on us and now we're struggling to feed our children! Our remaining hospitals are overrun with the dead and dying!" The alien looked to be on the verge of tears. "Why couldn't it just destroy our planet? At least then we wouldn't be living in this hell!"

Nappa was stunned, and he could sense Gohan's power fluctuating as he tried to get his anger under control. However, he remembered the Namekians and something clicked. "I have any idea, but I'll need to contact planet Namek first to see if it'll work." Gohan nodded and stepped aside, to allow Nappa to work. "Hang in there," he said to the alien onscreen before opening up another channel of communication with Planet Namek.

Before long, a Namekian appeared onscreen, but it wasn't Nail. "Hello," he said politely. "You must be the saiyan Nappa. Nail informed me that you might be contacting us soon."

"I'd like to continue the conversation we had, but there's something urgent that's come up." Nappa sent the details of the besieged planet to the Namekian. "If you have any healers to spare, could you send them over there to help out?"

"We'd be happy to," replied the Namekian. "I'll contact them as soon as possible, and I'll talk with the elder about who to send."

"Thank you," said Gohan, over Nappa's shoulder. Then when the Namekian began contacting his elder telepathically, Nappa switched the channel back to the other alien, who was waiting anxiously "Don't worry," said Gohan reassuringly. "We've asked the Namekians to send some healers over to help you out. They should be contacting you real soon."

"Oh, thank you," replied the alien. "We're grateful for all you've done for us." After a brief goodbye, the alien hung up, and Nappa switched the channel back to the Namekian, who was now waiting patiently.

"We've informed them that you were willing to help out," said Nappa

"Good," replied the Namekian. "The Elder told me that he would gather a group of healers to send over there. Now about what you and Nail talked about, did King Vegeta make a decision?"

"He said that we can't spare any troops yet, but we might be able to send a few of our strongest to help out. There aren't many of us, so we need the bulk of our force here, but I'm sure Gohan, could make a difference by himself, or with help from the cyborg." Nappa then turned to Gohan who smiled and nodded.

"Sure I'd be up for it," he replied before turning back to the screen. The Namekian nodded. "That's good. Please inform us when you're ready so I can tell our allies to prepare for it."

"I'll do that," replied Nappa, and then the communication ended. He then turned to Gohan who looked eager. "Vegeta says tat you should stay here for a few days until he's fully recovered. That way we'll have at least one super saiyan here in case Broly returns."

"I understand," replied Gohan. "Should I take Juu with me as backup?"

Nappa smiled. "Vegeta made the exact same suggestion. You really are his apprentice." Gohan chuckled in response as they walked out of the control room. "I guess that's it for now. We should just sit tight until Vegeta gets better, maybe do some light training to prepare."

Gohan nodded. "I'll go tell Juu what the plan is. I'll also ask Glacer if he wants to come."

Nappa nodded. "I really wish I could go with you, but I'm needed here. Anyway, I'm going to find Raditz and spar with him." Nappa went further into the building, the control room being near the outer walls, while Gohan went outside, he knew that Juu didn't like staying inside the building if she didn't have to.

"I thought you'd be here," Gohan said as he found the cyborg atop one of the many ruined buildings. She looked up at him with a smile, which he couldn't help returning, and then motioned for him to join her. After taking his seat next to her, he decided not to waste anytime. "I'm got some news. As soon as Vegeta is fully recovered, I'll be leaving to help some of our allies."

"So you want me to come with you," she said, as if reading his mind.

"Off course, I know that I can count on you to watch my back after all we've been through." He felt her leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. "So do you want to come along?"

"Off course," replied Juu as if the answer was obvious. "I don't have anything better to do, and I'd rather not be left here all by myself. Not that I dislike the locals, I just prefer your company."

"I'm glad," replied Gohan before they settled into silence.

* * *

"Are you sure you're back to full strength," asked a concerned Goten as he communicated with Trunks through the rebels' communication network. It was based on cables running deep underground, and therefore in less danger of being tapped.

"I'm fine now Goten," replied Trunks confidently, "This time I've been extra careful not to push myself," he added, his face becoming more serious as the memory of Tien resurfaced. "We're planning to attack Cooler really soon."

"How?"

"Before we escaped, one of the soldiers had enough foresight rip out the brain of one of the drones we captured. We have a pretty good idea where Tien is, and Cooler said he would be waiting for me there, so we might be able to send a false message to the drones, to draw most of them away, and then make our move."

"Will I be able to fight too?" asked Goten eagerly.

"Yes, in fact we'll probably need you to help fight off the remaining few drones. It shouldn't be too difficult because we'll have more people on our side, and once Cooler is defeated, we have reason to believe that the drones would either shut down or come under our control."

"All right Trunks," said Goten somewhat warily. "I'll be going to bed now. The soldiers will probably tell me when it's time to fight."

"Goodnight Goten," replied Trunks. "Oh, and Piccolo said he would be at your end tomorrow. He just left a few hours ago." Goten nodded and said 'goodnight.'

* * *

Tien's eyes opened slowly as his body began to wake up. Slowly, he regained an awareness of his surroundings. There was something restraining him, and judging by the pull of gravity, he was being held in a standing position. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was in a holding cell, and memories of the attack flooded his mind.

"Oh no…what happened to Trunks," he muttered to himself, or so he thought.

"You needn't worry about the super saiyan," came a voice from the darkness. Moment's later; Cooler's metal form stepped into Tien's view. "I let him go, and he'll be on his way here to face me. No doubt the rebels are planning to attack me here."

"They wouldn't," said Tien worriedly. "They know it's too dangerous to mount a sustained attack! They'd be overwhelmed by the sheer number of drones."

Cooler began laughing, which sent a chill down Tien's spine. "They will attack. They think that they'll be able to divert my main force away from here. I know all about the drones they captured, and I'm sure they think they'll be able to send false signals to draw my main force away. They've underestimated my intelligence."

Tien just stared in horror, as Cooler turned away and receded into the darkness, laughing all the while.

* * *

Sorry for taking so long, and yes, there will be more action in the next chapter. I hope I'm doing a good job relating Trunks situation with Cooler to his past with the androids, and I was also trying to make Goten a bit more like Chichi than his canon self. Also, I'm going to be be taking some liberties with time skipping in different planets (ie: on one planet it might be one day later, but on the other it'll be two days later).


	13. The New Target

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

The once bustling city on planet Yardrat was now a sea of corpses and rubble. There was evidence of a battle, but judging by the number of native bodies compared to those of the invaders, it was more like a massacre.

Gohan and Juu surveyed the rubble, searching for any possible survivors. Glacer was currently keeping an eye on the nearby Triceraton encampment to warn them of any movements. They wore dark matching outfits, with Gohan's being a black vest and long sleeve shirt with black pants, while Juu's consisted of a sleeveless shirt with tight black pants and a silver belt.

"There's no one here," said Gohan unhappily after several minutes of searching. "I couldn't sense anyone here, but I thought at least a few would've been able to conceal their power." He walked over to Juu who was currently sitting atop a large triangular piece of rubble that resembled concrete.

"There are probably several of them in the camp," reminded Juu as she slid down from her perch to stand near him. "Most of these bodies look like they're from the fighters. That means most of the civilians are still alive. Last I checked the Big Five want to rule, not destroy."

"You've got a point," replied Gohan as he turned to look back in Glacer's direction. "But still, they've probably killed all of the warriors to quell any potential rebellions. The Yardratians will be sitting ducks, even if we free them."

"We'll figure that part out after we free them," replied Juu as they started walking towards Glacer's location.

Glacer was perched on a cliff overlooking the Triceraton encampment. The invaders were so confident in their control that they didn't feel the need to take extra precautions, such as putting their base on high ground or trying to conceal it. It was simply a large barbed wire fence that surrounded their battle cruisers, one of which likely functioned as a prison ship to contain the Yardratians.

Gohan and Juu arrived on foot, in order to avoid setting off the Triceratons' scouters. "We weren't able to find any survivors," Gohan said while clenching his fists, disappointment evident. "Have their been any developments here?"

"Not much has been going on in terms of activity, but I'm sure the Triceraton's are discussing things inside the base. Of course the only way to find it would be to get in there." Glacer turned away from the base to face Gohan and Juu with an eager smile. "Shall we?"

"Of course," replied Gohan, cracking his knuckles and stretching his arms. "However, we should develop a plan instead of just charging in there, that'll make things easier."

"It looks like there ships are evenly distributed throughout the camp," said Juu as she glanced over it. "And judging by the fact that there are only Triceratons on the outside, I think that any prisoners would be in the ships, and there's one for each of us."

"So you're saying that we should start by freeing as many prisoners as we can," asked Glacer. Juu nodded affirmatively. "Sounds good, because then the guards would have more trouble handling all of us. The camp looks like it's geared towards keeping people out, not in."

Gohan nodded before walking towards the edge of the cliff and picking his target. "The sooner we get this over with, the better." Moments later they vanished. Gohan's intended target was a ship at the far back corner of the encampment, and he would have to plough through several guards to reach it.

As their scouters activated, the Triceratons looked upwards, alarmed as the three powerful beings descended on them. They were like comets, ignoring, or blocking their lasers and crashing down on them with tremendous force.

Gohan stood up from the impact crater in front of him, the dead bodies of Triceraton guards lying around him, and then dashed straight towards his chosen ship. He ignored, or quickly evaded any guards that tried to slow him down. When one of them was dumb enough to jump directly into his path to block him, Gohan bulldozed him into the side of his target ship. Then, casting aside the unconscious guard's body, he proceeded to do a thorough sweep of the ship, once again, ignoring of knocking aside any guards that tried to stop him.

The ship's interior was nothing special and there was a large holding area, which Gohan took to be its cargo bay, and the most likely place to keep prisoners. When he blasted the door down, he saw that his suspicions were correct. There were many Yardratians packed tightly together in the cargo bay. Gohan also noted that there were no heavy weapons such as mechs, which meant that the Triceratons could only afford to take them to planets with powerful inhabitants.

"Is everyone here alright?" Gohan tried to look as non-threatening as possible, even though his body was dotted with spots of blood from his enemies. However, the fact that he wasn't a Triceraton seemed to calm them.

The group consisted of many weak looking Yardratians. As Gohan thought, the warriors had all been eliminated. One of them, most likely the leader of the group, came forward. He looked shaken, but wasn't shivering as much as the others. "Please sir, will you help us escape. The Triceratons are starving us. We need sunlight, but they keep up shut away in this dark room."

"Don't worry," replied Gohan, before giving a sharp elbow to the gut of a Triceraton who had been trying to sneak up on him. The Yardratians gasped, due to them not noticing the approaching enemy. _They normally have very sharp senses_, thought Gohan, giving the unconscious Triceraton a stone-cold glare. _The Triceratons really having been starving them_, he thought before turning back to the group. "You're all coming with me. My comrades and I are going to drive these Triceratons off your planet."

* * *

Cooler's fortress would have looked imposing to most. It was essentially a giant castle situated in the middle of an island surrounded by frigid waters. However, the rebel forces were more than capable of storming it. They knew that the real challenge lay underground.

"Tien has to be underground," said Trunks, not taking his eyes off the building. "Are you sure that the bulk of his forces are attacking the others?"

"We're sure," replied Tunder before looking back in the direction they had come. "A large solar flare from their direction will signal the start of our attack."

Piccolo nodded, his sharp gaze fixed on the fortress, looking for the best point of entry. His ears were tuned to listen for the characteristic sound the solar flare attack made. "So we're each just going to pick an entrance and raise chaos?"

"Yes, and we'll start a riot if we can. Anything to help Cooler lose control of the situation. Off course, Trunks will likely seek Cooler out himself." They both looked over at the saiyan half-breed who nodded without diverting his gaze from their target.

"I'm ready." Trunks never took his eyes off the fortress. "He'll be waiting for me, and this time I'm in peak condition. This time I won't fail." _I couldn't destroy the androids in my world_, he thought bitterly. _However, that doesn't mean I have to fail in this world. Then once we're done here, I'll hunt down the remaining androids, Seventeen, Eighteen and Juuhachigou._

A bright flash appeared on the horizon, signaling the start of their attack on the fortress. Several soldier, made their own entrance, opening up with a big blast, shock and awe tactics. Other's like Piccolo chose to conserve their strength, knowing that the toughest battle was ahead of them.

Trunks could sense Tien deep underground. With that in mind, he used his sword to cut his way down, entering new passages that were deeper underground, yet surprisingly well lit. Soon Tien's energy signature was ahead of him instead of below. Mere seconds after he'd made it down to the correct floor, a swarm of drones appeared to challenge him.

Trunks resisted the urge to go super saiyan, intending to save his strength for the final battle. The first one lunged and Trunks cut it down momentarily. _Damn, there are more than I expected. I thought the bulk of his forces would've been distracted by that solar flare._ They didn't present much problem for Trunks and quickly cut his way through them. It didn't take long for him to notice a pattern. _There are fewer drones in coming from the northern part of the base, but most of them are coming from Tien's direction._

Leaping back several feet, Trunks put some distance between him and the drones. Then he fired off a solar flare to blind them, giving him enough time to think. _Most of the resistance is between Tien, and me and that's where I sense Piccolo is heading. However…why isn't there much resistance towards the north?_

One of the drones recovered faster than the others and lunged towards Trunks. When it neared Trunk, its torso twisted in an attempted tail swiped. Trunks promptly leapt of over the attack before decapitating the drone with his sword, then spinning around to slash its body into smaller pieces. He the looked back to see more drones recovering and decided to head northward through the underground tunnels.

As he ran through the white, well-lit corridors, Trunks' soon realized that the drones were not following him. He stopped and turned to look back, wide-eyes with ears tuned to detect anyone approaching. _So it's true, there's less resistance this way, in fact Cooler actually wants me to go this way and not to rescue Tien._ He sensed Piccolo's power level flare up and then it hit him. _He's trapped them. His drones will mire them all; meanwhile, he's funneling me towards some chamber in the north because that's where he plans to fight me._

He took off down his current path with renewed urgency, careful not to exhaust too much power. _All right Cooler, you'll get your one-on-one match. Once I beat, you, the drones will all shut down and everyone will be safe. Please hold out everyone, I'll try to end this as quickly as possible._

* * *

"Good job Gohan," said Vegeta, standing in front of the main monitor of Planet Vegeta's control room. "You've liberated Yardrat in record time." Nappa stood next to the saiyan king, looking equally proud.

"The Triceratons really were thinly spread," said Gohan. "I think they invaded with a larger force and then left a few of their men behind to hold down the fort." Gohan's expression grew concerned. "We've hit up three of their planets already. It's only a matter of time before they catch on and try to counter us, and I'm not sure if we can handle a larger force that's waiting for us."

"If they want to do that to you they'll have to move forces away from occupied planets," stated Nappa. "They might try to stop you with a larger force, but I doubt it would be that large. Off course, I'm sure you could just turn super saiyan and plow through them anyway," he added and his grin soon gave way to a more serious look. "Be careful of their robots. I assume you haven't encountered any yet, but those things are tough."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Gohan. "We'll be leaving Yardrat soon. The civilians will be defenseless, and in poor health. We'll have our work cut out for us rebuilding everything once this war is over."

Vegeta nodded. "Let's try to focus more on the immediate future. The best you can hope to do is power through and make a big impact on our enemies." Then his trademark smirk appeared. "Nappa's right, the Triceratons probably won't send a huge force, but considering that they asked Paragus for help, they'll probably do it again. You'll be seeing Broly soon, and I envy you for that."

"I'll crush him for you," replied Gohan, clenching his fist in front of the screen for emphasis. "We'll be off to our next target tomorrow."

"Then check back with me once you've liberated the next planet," replied Vegeta. The screen went dark moments later.

When Gohan came down from the ship, Juu met him at the door. "The Yardratians are very undernourished and we've only been able to set up a small encampment for the survivors," said Gohan worriedly. "I don't feel good just leaving them like this. They don't even have a way to defend themselves."

"Looks like you're starting to regain your human compassion," said Juu, shaking her head. "I honestly don't want to leave them like this, but we have to. I don't have to tell you what we're trying to do. We have to overtax the Triceratons." She knew that Gohan was still worried. "Look, there's a strong chance that they won't come back here…unless they realize that we're still here. Then they'll probably want to crush us as soon as possible."

"Can't argue with that logic," replied Gohan.

Before he could say anything, Gohan noticed Glacer was running up to them. "Gohan I have some important information." His face wore a broad grin. "I found some information that could lead us to the mastermind behind the Big Five. Here," he said handing Gohan a disc. "I found some information in the computer. It was just a few communications between the base and Commander Mozar, but they mentioned someone named Dr. Dread. Apparently, he's been advising all of their moves."

"Now that makes sense." Gohan began recalling details about their enemies. "Neither the Triceratons, nor Paragus, or Lord Slug would be smart enough to build such advanced weaponry. Giant mechs that could take on a super saiyan require very advanced knowledge of robotics."

"I agree," added Glacer, his face hardening as he thought of Cooler. "Cooler was brought back using advanced robotics, and that would require even more advanced technology than any mech. I'm willing to bet that if we take out this Dr. Dread, then the Big Five would have lost their most important member."

"We'd be cutting their head off," said Juu enthusiastically. "Then we'd only have to destroy their technology and they won't have anyone left to rebuild them."

"My thoughts exactly," replied Gohan before turning to walk back into the ship, disk in hand. "I have to send this information to Vegeta."

* * *

Vegeta stroked his chin thoughtfully, processing Gohan's new information. "So if we find this Dr. Dread, we can effectively decapitate our enemies. The is finding him and he's most likely saved his biggest toys for himself."

Nappa nodded. "Perhaps a feint will do the trick. We should present a threat at one point and then take him by surprise."

"All that will come after we locate him," replied Vegeta before turning back to Gohan. "We'll try to think up a plan to deal with Dr. Dread at our end. You just focus on your current mission and we'll tell you when something comes up."

"Understood," replied Gohan. "Though I have an idea of where to start looking. Remember when you said that Dread would keep the best weapons for himself. He probably manufactures the mechs on his own planet before shipping them out to the Triceratons. If we could find out the where those shipments are coming from, maybe we can trace the supply chain back to him."

"Excellent suggestion," said Vegeta, his voice dripping with pride. "Well Nappa, get some people started on that as well, and spread the word to anyone we have a secure connection with." Nappa nodded and went to work immediately. Vegeta then turned his attention back to Gohan. "Alright, we'll get to work on our end. Just remember to do your part and be wary of Broly."

"Will do," replied Gohan before he ended the communication.

Gohan met Juu in the hallway. "We're almost ready to leave," she said. "All we have to do know is say goodbye to everyone." He nodded and followed her out, where the Yardratians were waiting, along with Glacer.

"I know that you've all suffered great losses," said Gohan solemnly, "and I promise that those responsible will be brought to justice." Glacer joined them at the door to the ship. "Please hold on and never give, and I promise that we can rebuild your once proud cities together." The crowd began cheering and Gohan cracked smile. _We can do this_, he thought. _We can win…just a little longer._

* * *

Sorry for the extremely late update. Anyway I've got everything up to chapter 18 planned out, so maybe the updates will go faster this time.


	14. A Promised Rematch

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

"I thought that most of the drones would be attacking the decoys," exclaimed Tunder as he and a group of rebel soldiers struggled to hold their ground against a swarm of drones.

Piccolo was busy fighting off another group of drones attacking from the opposite direction. "Isn't it obvious?" He fired a Special Beam Canon through one drone, and he was able to wield the beam like a light saber to cut through several others. "We're swamped, and there's no way out. Cooler led us here on purpose using Tien as bait."

"Then this is the end," said Tunder, as he put up a ki shield, and struggled to maintain it against the drones' barrage of attacks. "We can't do this forever and they just keep coming." The soldier next to him collapsed out of fatigue. Tunder grabbed him by the tail, and repositioned him behind his ki shield. "Our lives are in Trunks hands' now."

"Your right," replied Piccolo as he rushed into one drone, knocking its head off before roundhouse kicking another that approached from the right. "However, I'm not going down without a fight. If there's a way to get us out of here, I'll find it." He beat back a few more drones with his fist before grabbing another by the arm and throwing it into the ceiling. Then he followed up with a ki blast that destroyed the drone, but only made a crater in the ceiling.

"He must have reinforced the ceiling," exclaimed a soldier next to Piccolo.

"Then that means he wants to keep us pinned down in this spot," added Tunder. "We'll make our stand here."

* * *

The Yardratians watched sadly as their liberators took off on their ship. Gohan and Glacer had done their best to reassure them of their relative safety, and they all knew why it was necessary. However, that didn't prevent them imagining a Triceraton Ship appearing in the sky after their saviors had left.

"We'll be back," said Gohan as he watched them from the ship's main monitor.

"You're human side is growing stronger," said Juu as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The old Gohan wouldn't have batted an eye when he left them. Not that you shouldn't care, it just seems a bit much to still be worrying over them."

Gohan smiled to himself. "Actually, the sentimental human Gohan is the original. The version of me that you know only came after I lost my memory." He turned to her and a Vegeta-like smirk appeared. "Don't worry, I haven't completely changed. I can be prideful and arrogant if you want me to."

Juu chuckled at that. "Just don't let yourself get too sentimental."

"Right," replied Gohan before turning the monitor off. "I'll try not to worry too much." The screen suddenly turned on a beeping sound accompanied the message about an incoming transmission. "That must be from Vegeta," he said, acknowledging it. "Do you have a plan to track Dr. Dread?"

"I do," replied Vegeta. "There's a high chance that Dr. Dread is providing the Triceratons with their supplies. Therefore, if we can track the movements of their ships, we might be able to pinpoint his location. So when you reach the next planet, I want you to let one of the ships retreat after planting a tracking device on it. Be sure to damage something in it, that'll increase the chances of it going to Dr. Dread's planet for repairs."

"No problem," replied Gohan, giving Vegeta a thumbs-up. "I'll send you the transmission code after I've planted it." All transmitters had their own unique code. It was a security measure to avoid someone tracking the wrong device. "Our ship left Yardrat's gravitational field a few minutes ago. We'll be at our next destination a few hours from now."

"Get some rest Gohan," replied Vegeta. "You can't be too careful. Especially with the threat of Broly looming over you."

"Will do," replied Gohan.

The saiyan king then looked over at Juu who had been watching quietly. "Knock him out if you have to. He's been known to over train himself."

"You can count on me," replied Juu, giving him a mock salute, and grinning at Gohan, who was now pouting. The transmission ended moments later, and Gohan got up from his seat. "You know he's just concerned for you right?"

"Hey, it's not like my human side's taken over that much," replied Gohan with a cocky grin. "I can take a joke, besides, I doubt you could knock me out even if you tried."

"Keep taunting me," replied Juu, cracking her knuckles while maintaining her grin. "I'll be happy to prove you wrong if you really ask for it." She then pointed towards the hallway leading to their rooms. "Now its time for you to sleep."

"And you?"

"I have a limitless energy supply," she replied smugly. "I can afford to go without sleeping for days on end. Don't worry, I'll watch the ship for the rest of our journey."

"Alright, just tell me if anything goes wrong." Gohan left Juu at the control room and headed towards his room for rest. He met Glacer in the hallway; the changeling was just leaving the bathroom.

"Greeting Gohan," are their any new developments?"

"Vegeta has a plan to track the Triceratons back to Dr. Dread. He wants me to partially damage one of their ships, and then place a tracker on it before letting it escape. It'll go back to Dread's planet for repairs, and we'll track it."

"It might not be that simple. They'll probably suspect something if you don't destroy the ship completely. Perhaps I should do it, even let myself get captured to add to the act."

Gohan gave him a suspicious look. "You want to find out where they are keeping Traximus." Glacer nodded; there was no point in lying. "Look, I know that he was your friend and a fellow resistance leader, but you mustn't let yourself get captured. I agree that it would be better to if you destroy the ship, but don't fall into their hands."

"You're right," replied Glacer, "but I can't help feeling guilty for his capture. I've seen what my people have done to capture rebels. I used to be a soldier in King Cold's army, his intelligence unit to be more precise. I've witnessed and even participated in many horrors."

"So you eventually couldn't take it and decided to rebel against the royal family in order to help your kind atone for what they had done while under King Cold's rule?

Glacer nodded, his eyes darkening. "Zanramon might not be as strong or even as bright as King Cold was, but he is definitely a cruel dictator, and I know how cruel dictators treat their captives." He then turned away to return to his room and rest. "Anyway, let's not talk about that right now. We should be well rested for our next attack."

Gohan agreed and didn't press any further, though he had morbid curiosity about what Glacer had seen. He went to his own room, not bothering to change out of his old clothes. He'd only be getting them dirty all over again.

* * *

After several minutes of running through a straight, monotonous path, Trunks reached a large room; it was about the size of a football field. The walls were metallic; the same color as Cooler's metallic skin, and there were bluish vein-like structures permeating the walls, that gave off light. Trunks had only taken a few steps in when the entrance sealed itself up. It was as if the walls were made of some metallic ooze that healed up any imperfections.

The saiyan hybrid pointed his palm at the door and began charging ki. "Don't bother," came a voice from behind, which Trunks recognized as Cooler's "Those walls are reinforced with the same metallic cells that exist in my body. You'll have to shut me down to get out of here and save your friends."

Trunks could sense everyone else's ki flaring up as they fought harder, and many ki signatures were disappearing. _I'll have to defeat him a quickly as possible._ With a hard grunt, he turned super saiyan, and then he drew his sword. "Let's not waste any time Cooler, I'm taking you down here!" He pointed his sword at the cyborg for further effect.

"I won't lose this time saiyan!" Cooler swayed aside, avoiding Trunks' sword strike. Then he wrapped his tail around Trunks' around and sent him sailing into one of the walls, his sword falling to the ground as he lost his grip.

Trunks reacted quickly and pushed off the wall with his feet, using the force to slam into Cooler, sending them both into the opposing wall. Then he slammed his knee into Cooler's gut, causing an indent in the wall. After that, he began pounding him ever deeper into the wall with his fists before pulling him out by the tail and slinging him onto the ground. He then ran up to him, grabbing his dropped sword on the way and sliced Cooler's arm off as the changeling tried to block with it.

As Trunks prepared for another strike, Cooler fire death beams from his eyes, forcing the super saiyan to back flip away to avoid the attack. Cooler got to his feet and started laughing. "That was a nice effort Trunks, but I'm afraid that I can't go down so easily." He moved over to the nearest wall, and the metal began oozing onto his shoulder.

_He can heal himself?_ Trunks quickly glanced around, and noticed Cooler's dismembered arm melting into the ground. Then he saw the dent he had created healing itself. "The walls…this room…it must be a part of you!"

"Correct," replied Cooler. "My body is no longer made up of purely organic cells. Think of me as a cyborg, with the mechanical parts integrated at cellular level. The walls are also made up of cyborg cells. It doesn't matter how many times you cut me to pieces this room can heal me."

"That's cheating," replied Trunks angrily. "I thought you wanted a fair fight."

Cooler shrugged casually. "As far as I'm concerned, this room is a part of me. Besides, I'm letting you use that sword. You're the one with the weapon, I'm just fighting with my own body." He noticed the super saiyan glancing around. "Don't waste your time trying to get out of here. The only way to blast your way out is to kill me first, and you can only do that if you can annihilate my main body before the walls can heal me."

Trunks frowned, locking his eyes on Cooler. "Fine." He gripped his sword tightly. "Let's see how fast you can regenerate."

* * *

"We're entering the planet's atmosphere now," said Juu over the intercom.

Gohan was currently in his room, wiping the blood off his clothes with a wet cloth. Then sensed something, a powerful ki that he'd last felt on his home planet. _It's Broly…why would he be here?_ Having wiped away the last blotches of blood from his vest, he made his way to the control room with alternating feelings of excitement and dread.

Juu quickly noticed his changing emotions. "Something's up with you Gohan," she said as he sat next to her in front of the screen. "Does it have anything to do with those weird power levels I am sensing?"

"It does," he replied without taking his eyes off the main monitor. "It has to be Broly. He's trying to conceal his ki, but I can sense it flaring up and dying down. They know we're coming…there's no other reason for Broly to be here. He's their secret weapon and they wouldn't be wasting him on small fry."

"Dr. Dread must be behind this," said Glacer as he joined them. "If he is the brains behind the Big Five, he would probably be hearing about the chaos we've been causing from the Triceratons." He sat down on the open seat to Gohan's right as their ship started to land. "I can see how he would be able to predict our next target, since we have been systematic about it."

Gohan began grinning. "This might put a dent in our plans, but I won't let it ruin my day. I've been looking forward to this rematch." _And once I've proven myself against him, I might've grown strong enough to take Cell down as well._

"We'll be landing on the most deserted part of the planet," said Juu. "That will minimize any chance of them blasting us while we're still in the ship. They'll probably be coming for us though, and Broly could reach us in minutes."

"I doubt that," replied Gohan with Glacer nodding in agreement. "They expect us to come for them, so they won't waste the effort chasing us down. Defense is usually less costly than offense and much less risky."

"Then what's the plan," asked Juu, looking over at Gohan expectantly. "We'll have our work cut out for us with Broly here."

"I can't develop a specific plan from up here. So it's just the same as before, but leave Broly to me." His grin broadened in anticipation of coming rematch.

* * *

This was finished for a few days before I got around to editing it. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	15. Pitched Combat

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Gohan's ship had landed in the middle of a large uninhabited salt flat; the Triceratons hadn't bothered policing it. "Its just a few hundred miles away." Gohan pointed towards the horizon. "That's where we'll find Broly."

Glacer didn't look pleased by the idea. "Are you sure it's a good idea to go straight for him?"

"Yes," replied Gohan with a broad grin. "There's no point in avoiding it. If we keep him waiting, he'll find us or he might decide to blow up the planet from orbit. We have to engage him and keep him occupied, and I'm sure that I'll be able to handle it."

They began flying towards Broly's location, not making any attempts at stealth. However when they were only a few miles away from the city, Gohan stopped them and they landed at the foot of a large pillar like mountain.

"Here's the plan. I'll go head on to fight with Broly. You two will then try to ambush them and free the prisoners. This planet's population is reasonably strong. I'll be able to keep Broly tied up and I'm sure you two can handle the others."

"That's sounds awfully reckless," replied Juu critically. "You're not invincible Gohan."

He simply smiled back at her. "That's why I'm counting on both of you to make your move as quickly as possible. I can handle Broly in a fair fight, but the others will probably try to interfere."

Juu and Glacer nodded before leaving Gohan. They would both infiltrate the city on their own and on foot, though Juu didn't need to worry about being detected by the enemy scouters. When they were gone Gohan grinned broadly at the prospect of unleashing his full power.

Gohan's power spiked as he leapt into the air and charged straight at the city. His body was briefly engulfed in a golden flash as he turned super saiyan. Within seconds he was soaring over the city, and instantly noted the lack of locals. _They've been herded into prison ships like last time_, he thought. _How predictable._ However he didn't have long to wonder where they could be when the whole city seemed to turn against him.

There were enemy soldiers hidden amongst the buildings and they soon opened fire. The blasts weren't strong enough to hurt Gohan, but they distracted him long enough for Broly to attack, seemingly out of nowhere, and send him sailing with a solid punch to the jaw.

Gohan recovered within seconds and blocked another punch. The larger super saiyan gave him a sadistic grin. "I've been waiting for this rematch," he said. "This time I'll be sure to break you in half." He finished the last part with a chuckle, something Gohan found oddly disturbing.

"I don't plan on giving you the chance." Gohan vanished moments later and then his foot struck Broly from the side. This sent the larger saiyan tumbling through the air. Gohan appeared behind him moments after he had recovered and delivered a painful elbow to the back.

Broly crashed into a building before the soldiers posted on it could escape. The building exploded moments later, killing off any surviving solders as Broly erupted out of it. His mouth flexed into a battle-hunger grin. "You're the first person to actually hurt me in battle. It's actually refreshing." He wasted not time in rushing at Gohan, intending to grab the saiyan's throat.

Gohan ducked under the attack, but was distracted by a laser blast to the eye from a nearby building. This gave Broly the opening he needed to land a double-fisted smash to Gohan's head, sending him crashing to the ground and knocking him out of his super saiyan form. He had barely enough time to roll out of the way as Broly slammed into the ground next to him. Gohan then leapt back and transformed again.

Broly glanced back over his shoulder and frowned when he noticed the soldiers waving at him. They were standing on top of a building and had what appeared to be a high-caliber energy gun, similar to what some of the mechs used. _They're the one who interfered_, he thought. He then turned his attention back to Gohan and rushed at him, anticipating that the half saiyan would try to get behind him.

Gohan did as Broly predicted, leaping into the air and flipping over the larger saiyan. However, he was shocked when Broly promptly whirled around and a fired a small, but powerful ball of ki. Though he was able to dodge it he noticed Broly grinning and turned to see a building behind him explode.

"Those fools interfered with our battle," said Broly causing Gohan to immediately recall the laser blast that had distracted him. "They'll know better than to interfere now."

"I doubt it," replied Gohan before turning back to face Broly with a frown. _He's willing to kill his own allies, but at least I know he's like any other saiyan, always battle-hungry._ A smiled appeared on his face. _At least I can count on him to eliminate his own guys if they try to interfere with us._

Broly noticed Gohan's momentary distraction and rushed in to try and grab him. While Gohan was able to react, Broly still managed to grab hold of his legs. Then he descended at high speed to slam Gohan into the ground. However Gohan fired a ki blast at the ground to help cushion the impact, kicking up dust in the process.

Taking full advantage of Broly's temporary surprise and Gohan used his tail to smack one of Broly's wrists. This caused the larger saiyan to let go, freeing one leg, which he then used to deliver a painful kick to Broly's face. Broly was clutching his face in pain, and Gohan's legs were now free. After performing some back flips, he extended his hand, pointing his thumb, middle, and index fingers at Broly's chest. "Galic Crusher!"

An angry Broly removed his hands from his face in time to catch sight of the beam of ki barreling towards him. With a mighty yell he clapped his hands around the end of the beam when it was mere inches away from his chest. Ripples formed around the beam as a result, and rushed back towards Gohan, forcing the smaller saiyan to let go of the attack before it blew up in his face.

Gohan ascended higher into the air, with Broly in hot pursuit. He stopped to let Broly catch up and ducked underneath the larger saiyan's forearm before getting inside Broly's reach and driving his knee into the larger saiyan's gut. Then he descended before Broly could put him into a bear hug.

* * *

Trunks was beginning to sweat as he fired a Burning Attack at the advancing cyborg. Confident in his ability to regenerate from any attack, Cooler had adopted a strategy of boldly pursuing his opponent. Though he could have easily beaten him back several times, Trunks knew better than to make the mistake of using too much energy.

_That last attack's bought me some more time_, thought Trunks a he used the opportunity to retreat and observe Cooler healing his chest wound. His eyes widened when he saw Cooler looking at a section of wall before that section protruded and merged into him to begin the healing process. _The walls! They don't heal him on their own. He has to direct them. They really are a part of him, but they don't act on their own._

Unsheathing his sword, Trunks charged to take advantage of Cooler's current condition and brought his blade down on Cooler's skull. However he soon looked horrified when the blade chipped on contact.

Cooler began laughing. The healing process was now finished, and he stood up, forcing Trunks to back away. "You're a clever little monkey, but did you really think that I wouldn't try to cover my greatest weakness?" He tapped his skull. "This is the toughest part of my body. Not even your strongest attacks can penetrate it."

Trunks sheathed his sword and prepared for another round of stalling. _He needs his head intact to heal himself, but that part of his body is so tough that I can't hope to crack it. Not from the outside at least._ Cooler didn't give Trunks time to think any further, forcing him onto the defensive with several punches and kick, accompanied by the occasional tail swipe.

"You can't stall forever monkey!" Trunks crossed his arms to block Cooler's punch, however the changeling saw an opening and twisted his hips to swiped the saiyan's legs with his tail. As the saiyan fell backward Cooler grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him back to deliver another punch to the cheek with his free hand. He let Trunks fly back with the force of the attack and began advancing on him at a leisurely pace, not bothering to worry about any potential attack. "Come on monkey. If you know you can't win. Why not at least give me a good fight before I kill you."

As Cooler reached down to pick Trunks up by the back of his shirt, the half saiyan suddenly rolled onto his back before firing a small ki blast at Cooler's face. The attack made contact with the changeling's skull, not causing any damage, but temporarily blinding him. It only lasted an instant, but Trunks noticed the walls reacting to the blast. They were highly reflective and they also seemed to ripple as if tracking the attack as it moved.

Recovering quickly, Cooler began firing death beams from his eyes, and as Trunks began rolling and leaping out of the way, he began to pay more attention to the walls. _It's the same as before, the walls are reacting to the attacks. Its as if they can actually see the blasts. _The gears in his head were starting to turn as he dodged more attacks. _Perhaps I can use this to my advantage._

* * *

Goten was hiding behind a rock as several other soldiers ran past it with a drone in hot pursuit. When the drone flew past the rock, Goten leapt out from behind it and began pounding on its head. The drone began thrashing around wildly, however Goten was positioned on its shoulders in such a way that it couldn't grab at him or shake him off.

With the drone preoccupied the soldiers began rushing towards it and beating it from multiple sides. Two of them secured each of its arms and began dismantling them with powerful strikes to its joints. The drone tried to escape by taking to the air, but another soldier, who resembled Freeza's second form, charged it like a bull and drove his horn through its chest. Goten and the soldier then withdrew as the heavily damaged drone.

Goten put his wrists together and began charging energy. "Ka-me-ka-me!" The rebel soldiers also began charging energy. "Ha!" Goten and the soldiers unleash powerful ki attacks that succeeded in eliminating the drone. "It looks like we've cleared this area," he said, falling onto his back. "I can't here anymore explosions."

"This was too easy," said the soldier who had impaled the drone. "Cooler must have sent only a portion of his force to fight us. There's no way it could be this easy after the way they decimated many of our bases."

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Goten, "but I'm also tired. I can't fight anymore." The soldier's eyes softened as he knelt beside Goten and rubbed his head affectionately. Goten might have been a warrior now, but he was also a child.

"You've fought well Goten," he said. "We'll rest for now. There's no point in us going to help Tunder if we don't have the strength to continue." Sitting down next to Goten, he pulled out what looked like a Smartphone and began tapping the touch screen. "Yes…there is definitely a larger concentration of drones at the base where our main force is attacking. So it was a trap and we fell for it."

"We should get over there and help our comrades," said another soldier, who looked like more a hybrid of Cooler and Freeza's true forms. "They'll be destroyed if we don't rush over there."

"You don't know that for sure," he replied to the smaller changeling. "Even if we do rush over there now, what do you think we could accomplish? I can't speak of all of us, but I am spent. I'd be nothing more than a target for the drones. I don't like sitting here, but resting is the best thing I can do for now. You can go if you think you'll manage it." The other soldier had no reply, and conceded the point by sitting down as well. The five others who were also present soon joined him.

"I know that Trunks will defeat him," said Goten. "Cooler wants to fight Trunks, but Trunks will beat him."

* * *

As the two super saiyan's traded blows above the city streets, Juu snuck stealthily through them. She hid behind a building as several soldiers evacuated. They were a mix of Triceratons and lizard men and were trying to get as far away from the clashing saiyan's as possible.

A sadistic grin crept onto her face as she saw the last one ran past her. _They're all lined up like bowling pins._ A pulse of ki escaped her pointed index finger and knocked all of the soldier's down. Their bodies looked intact on the outside, but she knew their insides told a different story. It was a technique Gohan had taught her for use against weaker beings.

She proceeded through the streets, heading towards what she knew to be the enemy base camp. However she was so preoccupied with her current course that she failed to notice the two devices placed inconspicuously on the sides of the entrance to an alleyway. Running into the alley, Juu felt great excitement, akin to what she'd felt back in her original timeline when playing games with Gohan's counterpart.

_There it is_, she thought as she arrived at one of the city's plaza. This was likely one of several encampments, located in each of the city's plazas. As on Yardrat, the ship, likely containing prisoners, was at the center. However, the domelike hatch at the top was the only part visible aboveground, indicating a larger structure buried beneath it. There were several guards, both Triceraton and lizard men, stationed around the perimeter with tents to sleep in.

She was about to charge when the building next to her exploded, sending her crashing into another building. The soldiers leapt back, but didn't seem surprised. Juu got back up and was now facing down a giant humanoid mecha.

It had a build similar to Nappa, but its head was shaped like a xenomorph's with a single eye at the end. The thick arms likely concealed several laser guns, which could fire blasts strong enough to harm even a super saiyan. She heard Paragus laughing inside. "You're a careless one. Your power is probably the only reason Gohan took you with him."

A frown appeared, she didn't like that comment. "Maybe you're right, but either way you'll regret fighting me." She took a fighting stance, ready to engage the giant robot. Like her, it had no power level, but judging by how similar robots had performed against Vegeta, she guessed that it would be tough, especially with a saiyan like Paragus at the helm.

The mecha swung its fist towards Juu, who knew better than to try and block. She leapt out of the way, using agility to her advantage and landed a powerful kick to the robot's shoulder. However, the attack only caused a dent in the shoulder plate, and the robot made another attempt to hit her. She evaded again, first by ducking under the initial backhanded swipe, and then by doing a back flip over the second swipe.

Paragus growled angrily, frustrated with his inability to hit her. _She's a cyborg, which means that I cannot hope to tire her out as I would Vegeta. This suit is too slow to fight her at close range._ Juu dodged another punch from the robot before delivering a swift kick to its chest area, knocking it backwards without toppling it. Acting quickly, Paragus made the robot ascend high above the city skyline, where it caught Gohan's attention.

"I'll handle this one Gohan," said Juu as she chased after it. While she was more maneuverable, its thrusters were almost as fast as her own flight mechanism. She quickly gained on Paragus, who began firing ki blasts at her from the gun holes hidden in the robot's large forearms. This slowed her progress, as she had to dodge or deflect the oncoming attacks.

"Don't underestimate him," replied Gohan as he turned back to Broly just in time to block another punch aimed at his face.

"I'd keep your eyes here if I were you," said the larger saiyan as he delivered as swift kick to Gohan's side, and attempted another with his left leg. However Gohan caught it and with both his arms and spun him around before letting him fly into another building. However, as he started to pursue, Broly erupted from the now collapsing structure and dashed towards him, almost slamming his forearm into Gohan's neck.

* * *

As the battles raged above him, Glacer had found another camp in another plaza. This one contained more Triceraton soldiers than lizard men. Glacer saw the two mecha stationed there taking off to go assist Paragus in his fight with Juu. That left at least twenty normal soldiers guarding the central ship.

_The local inhabitants have relatively high power levels. They must be under some sort of ki inhibition while inside the ship. There's no other way the Triceratons could keep them locked up like this._ Glacer began hatching a plan as he back away, carefully avoiding any sensory devices. He found a Triceraton sitting, with his back to the perimeter. A lizard man was behind him, pacing back and forth.

Taking careful aim, Glacer fired a minute ki blast at the back of the Triceraton, timing it so that the lizard man would be looking the other way when it hit. Glacer slipped away from his location when the blast made contact, circling around to the other side of the camp to watch.

The Triceraton stood up in shock, and growled angrily when he turned to see the confused lizard man behind him. Grabbing him by the neck, the Triceraton snarled maliciously. "I thought you were watching my back lizard brain!" He threw the lizard man to the ground.

Several other lizard men rushed to the aid of their ally. However other Triceratons also joined in and quickly began pummeling the now outnumbered lizards. Glacer watched as the last Triceraton left to join the melee, leaving him free to open the hatch and enter the ship.

_They've buried it,_ he noted with some amazement._ They must have arrived here earlier, and Paragus' force came later to reinforce them._ Sliding down the larger, Glacer quickly moved through the dimly lit hallways. He knew intuitively where prisoners were likely to be kept. The best place was always the cargo bay near the bottom of the ship.

* * *

As Gohan clashed with Broly, he noted that two more mecha had started to engage Juu. _She can handle one, but I'm not sure about three. I ought to help her out somehow._ Unfortunately, he'd dwelled on the idea a little too long, allowing Broly to exploit his lax guard and grab his throat. Gohan shut his eyes and winced as the larger saiyan slammed him, back first, into another skyscraper, but recovered quickly enough to latch onto Broly's arm with his tail and return the favor.

He emerged from the damaged structure and made a beeline for Juu's battle. It didn't take long for Broly to start pursuing him. Gohan smiled as looked back and saw the Broly was charging another ki blast. The larger saiyan was accelerating towards him with a manic grin, and Gohan was leading him straight into the other battle. "Heads up!"

* * *

Juu was starting to feel the pressure as the three robots engaged her with a combination of long range blasts followed by melee combat. She'd just block another ki blast when one came rushing in and almost landed a punch to her face. However, another one managed to grab her from behind. The one in front of her turned to deliver a powerful kick to the gut. Then they heard Gohan shout.

Approaching them at blinding speed, Gohan leapt over the first mecha and rammed his fist into he second's shoulder, effectively disabling its right arm and freeing Juu from its hold. Then he went back to the first and held it at bay by holding its arms by its back.

Juu immediately leapt up and sent the robot crashing to the ground with a sharp elbow to its head before pursuing it down to continue the fight.

Broly rushed in soon after and had no qualms about delivering a fistful of ki into the robot's gut to try and hurt Gohan. The half saiyan avoided the attack by releasing his hold and ascending towards the stratosphere.

A frustrated Paragus had watched the scene unfold from a safe distance. It had all happened within seconds. "Broly! Be careful! You just destroyed one of our allies!"

The larger saiyan turned to his father, disappointed that he had chosen to fight using the mecha. "Its not might fault if these insects can't dodge father." He then continued chasing after Gohan before his father could respond.

After letting out a frustrated sigh, Paragus descended to the ground to help hid fallen comrade who was currently at Juu's mercy.

* * *

Is was going to make this chapter longer, but I decided to split it up into two parts because the story had gone long enough without an update. I hope I did a good enough job describing the fight scenes since this chapter made heavy use of them.


	16. Pitched Combat Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Broly doggedly pursued Gohan. By now he had been fully consumed by his desire to battle. However, Gohan began to notice that what little finesse Broly had was now gone; he was essentially a wild beast, making it easier for Gohan to duck and weave around his wild blows.

The larger saiyan emitted a feral growl as he tried to grab Gohan, but the smaller saiyan slipped through his grasp and knee him in the chin. Broly suddenly grinned from ear to ear as he began to push down on Gohan's knee with his chin. This was accompanied with laughing,

_Someone's gone crazy_, thought Gohan before quickly placing his hands on Broly's shoulders and flipping over him and then elbowing him in the back. Gohan raised and eyebrow when Broly kept laughing, in spite of being sent flying into another building. The laughter continued even when Broly charged back towards Gohan, only for Gohan to catch his fist and swing him around, sending him crashing back into the same building he had just been in.

"Come on, fight me! Show me your power!" Broly powered up, causing great damage to the building he was in and the structure around it. He rose into the air and launched a large ball of ki. It had enough energy to blow up the planet.

Knowing he couldn't afford to dodge it, Gohan held the attack back with both his arms, straining slightly under the force of the attack. However, he quickly brought his knee up, sending the ball of energy into the air, and out of orbit. Then he dodged sideways to avoid a punch from Broly and countered with a swift roundhouse to the saiyan's side. Then he grabbed the briefly stunned saiyan by the shoulders and pulled him in to knee him in the gut.

Broly staggered back, and was clearly feeling pain, but that maniacal, battle-hungry, smile remained in his eyes. He chuckled crazily, as if he wasn't feeling the pain Gohan had inflicted. "Good! GOOD!" He fired two more balls of ki, intending to distract Gohan, however the younger saiyan evaded them with an afterimage and fired his own ki blast at Broly's head, causing the larger saiyan to block and opening him up for a gut punch.

This time Broly acknowledged the pain. He had been hit twice in the same area and was now doubled over. His joy at fighting was now beginning to give way. Gohan watched uneasily as he processed the pain, it was something knew to him. Soon, Broly's somewhat bewildered look contorted into a frown, followed by the barring of teeth, much a like what an angry dog would do.

An angry growl escaped him, followed by a louder roar. Broly suddenly rushed towards Gohan and swung wildly at him. Thought Gohan was able to dodge the attacks, he knew that if one of them connected, it would hurt him badly.

* * *

As Gohan's battle raged above, Juu continued to fight against he mecha, and found that she was at an advantage among the city streets. The pilots of the hulking machines seemed reluctant to cause too much damage to the city they had worked hard to conquer.

One of the mecha lurched towards her, but it was not moving fast enough to land its punch. Juu leapt up towards the cockpit and briefly blinded the robot with a handful of ki. The machine stepped back, wobbling with disorientation. Its companion leapt into the air and fired a volley of ki blasts at Juu, who deflected them towards the other robot.

Paragus got an idea when he saw Juu deflecting the blast. He contacted the lizard man in the other suit, whom Juu had decided to beat up on. "It looks like I'll have to make a sacrifice. I apologize in advance," though his voice didn't convey the slightest hint of remorse. He aimed a powerful ki beam, but this one burrowed into the core of the other mecha before its pilot caught on.

Thinking that Paragus wouldn't risk harming the other mecha, Juu had decided to use it as a shield while she beat up on it. She noticed the beam barreling towards it just in time to leap back, but ended up getting caught in the resulting explosion. The robots core could generate a limitless supply of energy, but unlike Juu's, it was programmed to detonate powerful explosive, if destroyed.

Paragus watched gleefully as the blast expanded outward, the light from the explosion engulfed Juu and went on to engulfed several blocks of the city. Soon he decided to shield his screen with the arm of his mecha when the light became too bright. When the light died away, a smoldering crater appeared. The place where the mecha had once stood was now at the center of the crater.

* * *

Both Gohan and Broly paused their battle to look over at the results of the explosion. Gohan looked horrified. There was no sign of Juu anywhere, though he knew that she didn't possess a power level he could detect. Broly however looked amused at this.

The larger super saiyan chuckled; the explosion had snapped him out of his battle-hungry state. "I didn't think father would blow up one of his precious robots." Turning to Gohan who was looking at the crater, scanning for any sign of Juu. He snickered again before trying to punch him back into the fight. However Gohan detected the attack and turned back to block. "Good, I thought that you'd be too distracted to fight."

"You really don't have any concept of mercy do you," said Gohan as he blocked another punch. "How do you know that your father wouldn't sacrifice you to further his goals?" He backed away as Broly stopped his attack and started laughing.

"Father would never do that. I'm too much of an advantage to him. I'm the only reason he even thought he could rule anything. I am his secret weapon. He wouldn't be anywhere without me."

This made Gohan smile. "If you're really that strong compared to your father, then how come you obey him? You could just rebel and do whatever you want."

Broly paused for a moment, but soon his smile returned. "You were trying to stall for time weren't you? Sorry, but I'm afraid your little girlfriend won't be emerging from that. The explosion was probably too much for her. Don't worry though, I'll send you to join her." He formed a ball of ki in his right arm and charged towards Gohan, intending to drive it into his gut.

Gohan ducked under Broly's arm and grabbing his legs, dragged him down and slammed him into the streets below. He then leapt back and yelled "Big Bang Attack," quickly charging and firing a larger ball of ki at point blank range into Broly's back. Then he backed away, rising higher into the air, knowing that Broly would return soon. He looked over at Paragus for a moment and saw him flying over to Mozar who was also airborne. Growling angrily at the saiyan in the mecha suit, he turned back to the larger saiyan who was emerged from the newly formed crater that resulted from Gohan's attack.

"That was invigorating," said Broly who looked excited in spite of the obvious damage to his body. "Now its my turn." He charged his own attack, just as powerful as Gohan's, but far more compact. After throwing the small green ball of ki, Broly charged towards Gohan. The half saiyan deflected it upwards, but then struggled to block Broly's punch. Broly smiled, and back away before motioning with his fingers, causing the deflected ball of ki to come back around and strike Gohan in the back.

Gohan was shocked when Broly's ki blast rammed into his back, so he crossed his arms to prevent Broly's oncoming fist from colliding with his face. He then kicked Broly's fist up and bent forwards to allow Broly's blast to move past him and crash into Broly. The larger saiyan grabbed the blast and crushed it, causing a mini explosion in his hand.

* * *

Glacer felt the earth shaking slightly as he moved through the hull of the ship. _They must be having one hell of a battle up there_, he thought somewhat nervously. Though his people were among the strongest in the universe, Glacer himself was still a peon next to the likes of super saiyans.

The darkly colored automatic doors slid open in front of him to reveal a room with a large monitor and several minor ones. A lizard man who had been sleeping sat up awake when the doors opened, but Glacer quickly silenced him with a low to the head from his tail. Then he turned to the main monitor, which showed images of different important rooms in the ship. One of the rooms was tinted red, and filled with the planet's native inhabitants.

_Off course, the red light suppresses their ki. This planet's inhabitants are exceptionally strong, and even Freeza needed to send the Ginyu Force to conquer them._ He quickly located the room using blueprints contained in the ship's database, and then began hacking into the computer. _First things first, I've got to crack their code._ He produced a device that could copy the necessary information and was done within a few minutes. _It will still take time to finish the code breaking, but I now have all the tools I need._ Now it was time to free the inhabitants.

* * *

Commander Mozar arrived to see the Triceratons and Lizard men engaged in a brawl. Looking over at the ship, he realized that it was currently unguarded as the soldiers were busy with their squabble. A growl escaped his throat as he strode over to the conflict and picked up a random Triceraton and Lizard man with each arm.

"ENOUGH!" They all stopped fighting and looked at him, some looking more fearful than others. "I don't care what set you guys off, but I WILL NOT tolerate such behavior." He looked over at the ship. "Two people go down there and see if anyone got in. Your little squabble would have been the perfect distraction for a would-be intruder."

Two Triceratons sheepishly entered the ship, not wanting to endure the Commander's wrath, however they were scrambling out of it moments later, pursued by aliens that resembled humans, but with grasshopper heads. They were all dressed in black uniforms with golden streaks across the shoulders and the sides.

Commander Mozar was taken aback momentarily, but quickly rallied the troops to form a line, and make a tactical withdrawal. More of the prisoners began pouring out of the ship and engaged the Triceratons in melee combat while the ones behind protected them from the Lizard Men's lasers. Mozar growled angrily when he saw Glacer emerged from the ship among the last of the prisoners. _So he's the one who let them out!_

As soon as he spotted Commander Mozar, Glacer leapt towards, him, ignoring the enemy lasers, which were too weak to hurt him anyway. Mozar, eager to meet the challenge joined him in the air, using the jets on his back, where they began fighting.

"Tell me where Traximus is," said Glacer, attempting to control his anger as he struck at Mozar with his tail. The Triceraton ducked under it and then punched using his metallic arm. Glacer deflected the blow with the back of his forearm and rammed his knee into Mozar's gut. However, as he doubled over, Mozar suddenly rammed his three horns into Glacer's chest, luckily they did not break his armored skin.

Even if his attack had not been fatal, Mozar was able to use his horns to toss Glacer into a nearby building. Then he removed the hand from his mechanical arm before firing a powerful laser blast at the ruined building, demolishing it. However, he had to block quickly as the changeling erupted from the smoke and rammed his fist on Mozar's crossed arms.

"Tell me what you've done with Traximus," he said sternly. "Do you intend to torture him?

"Why are you asking such questions," replied Mozar. "Why should I answer such a question? If you're that intent on saving your fellow rebel leader, I'd suggest beating before you begin the interrogation." Mozar brought his leg up and shoved Glacer back with a push-kick to the chest.

_He's right_, thought Glacer as he tensed up. Then a huge explosion shook the entire city, and both he and Mozar turned to gawk at the large crater with Paragus hovering above it in his mecha.

Mozar looked furious. "What do you think you're doing Paragus? We're supposed to conquer this city not destroy it! Do you want to anger the Prime Leader?"

After a few moments of observation Paragus turned and flew up to Mozar. "The cyborg was a very dangerous opponent, I had to make a sacrifice to destroy her. I'm sure the Zanramon will understand, if not, then that's his problem." He looked over at Glacer, causing Mozar to do the same. "Broly can handle Gohan, which leaves Glacer as the only major threat."

"Let's not forget the natives," replied Mozar. "Glacer released a ship full of them and they're overwhelming our ground forces."

"Don't worry," replied Paragus. "Broly will corral them when he's finished with Gohan." He briefly glanced back at Gohan and Broly's battle. "Now let's deal with Glacer. I'll take the lead." His mecha rushed towards Glacer, and quickly forced him to put up a defense.

* * *

Juu saw dirt on all sides of her ki barrier. She he brought it up moments before the explosion engulfed her. _That bastard Paragus has no sense of loyalty._ A devious grin appeared on her face. _Perhaps I can play a trick on him._ Sensing his ki above her, she began to track his movements, being careful to keep her barrier up to avoid tipping anyone off to her location.

_His power is rising slightly. He must be attacking someone. It can't be Gohan, and I sense Glacer up there, so he must be battling him._ She began forming a ball of ki, concentrating as much energy as she could into it. Her grin grew broader as the power within it increase. It remained the same size, causing the color to change from white to a chaotic black color with stray bolt of white and black lightning sparking around it.

Paragus sent Glacer sailing back with a punch that overwhelmed his defense. Mozar exploited this by rushing past him and delivering a kick to Glacer's back and then backed away as Paragus arrived to sent Glacer crashing down with a haymaker to the head. Glacer was now lying in a crater that stretched across the city street below, with the rims barely scraping against the sidewalks. Paragus began charging a ki blast to kill Glacer with when his sensors registered a mass of ki heading towards him.

Mozar saw the attack coming and backed away as Juu's chaotic ball of ki rushed towards Paragus' mecha. The saiyan only had to time to form a barrier, which strained to hold back the highly compressed mass of ki. Then Juu appeared behind him, and Paragus felt a chin run down his spine as she rammed another, similar ball of chi on the opposite side. He hastily pressed the eject button as the two balls overwhelmed the shields, and escaped the blast radius as the robot blew up. Juu quickly formed her own barrier and flew down to shield Glacer from the falling debris.

Mozar looked at Paragus bailing out of his mecha, and then looked down at the Triceratons losing ground against the native warriors. He saw an ever-increasing number of enemies escaping their ships to join the fray before turning to see Gohan fighting Broly with a noticeable advantage in terms of agility. _Things aren't looking good here. Perhaps we'll have to make sacrifices after all._

Paragus flew up to join Mozar. The loss of his mecha suit had been a noticeable drain on his confidence. "It appears that this battle is lost. Even Broly can't change anything now." They both watched Gohan holding his own against Broly. "Gohan is much stronger than we anticipated. We never counted on him becoming a super saiyan. It would be wise to reconvene on Planet Dread and come up with a new strategy."

Mozar grunted in agreement, and tapped a button on his wrist, contacting the forces below. He gave them instructions to make a tactical retreat.

* * *

Sorry for how long this one took. Anyway, I was planning on ending this one differently, but I decided it was better to update sooner since this one was already decently long.


	17. Cooler's End

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

Trunks could feel his energy slipping away as Cooler kept up a relentless assault. His arms were crisscrossing in front of his face to block the barrage of punches the changeling sent his way. Then Cooler leapt up and tried a tail swipe, but Trunks managed to grab his tail, albeit with noticeable pain, and tried to slam Cooler into the ground. However, Cooler's hands grasped the floor and then he jerked his tail sideways, forcing Trunks to let go and sending him into one of the walls.

"Honestly Trunks, this isn't much of a challenge. I can tell that you were holding back some of your strength, but now it looks like it's too late." The half saiyan got up and glared at Cooler, his ki flaring up. "I am in complete control-"

Trunks fired a ki blast that missed Cooler's head by a fraction of an inch and blew up against the wall behind him. Cooler began laughing in spite of getting interrupted, but Trunks was more focused on the way that walls reacted. _Yes…they definitely possess some form if sight. All its strengths…and weaknesses. If I could just get another opening like that then I might have a chance._

Cooler rushed towards Trunks and began punching, his fists moving like the pistons of a machine, one could theoretically set a watch to them. In a sense that's what Trunks did, as he began deflecting the punches left and right. However, Cooler suddenly spun around and tried a low sweep with his tail. Trunks was still able to evade the attack by jumping above it and sent Cooler flying into the wall with a roundhouse kick to the head, making a dent in the skull.

Not wasting time, Trunks immediately fired off a Solar Flare, and the bright light bounced off all of the walls, forcing the half saiyan to shut his eyes. _I hope my theory is correct_, he thought, channeling more of his energy before dashing upwards, enveloped in a solid shell of golden ki. He felt heavy resistance when he hit the ceiling, but not the kind he suspected. The walls felt gooey and very viscous, and it was more like trying to overstretch a rubber band than smash through a brick wall. However, It only took a fraction of a second for Trunks to push through and he felt more at ease as he plowed through normal metallic walls before reaching the surface.

It felt nice to be back at the surface, though Trunks knew his energy was starting to drain away slightly. He looked back down at his handiwork. There was a large hole in what appeared to be a roof of a building. Looking around, he noted that there were several buildings below him. _Is this a city…no it looks more like a smaller compound. I can see the desert around it, and there are no streets._

A loud and angry roar could be heard down the hole, and moments later Cooler emerged, rushing towards Trunks furiously. "You little…damn you!" He was seething as he slammed into Trunks, sending the super saiyan flying several feet back. Looking him over, Trunks noted that he appeared to be bulkier; perhaps his armor had thickened.

Cooler rammed into Trunks, but the half saiyan blocked the attack by crossing his arms in front of him. They crashed into a building, leaving a large hole and Cooler backed away. Trunks emerged from the building moments later, and he was smiling. "You've no longer got the benefit of you special room. There won't be anymore regeneration." Cooler was still overtly angry, but he had calmed somewhat. "I have a feeling you were afraid to fight fairly."

Surprisingly, this alleviated some of the changeling's anger, and Cooler began chuckling. "I'm afraid that's wishful thinking on your part. This battle could never be a repeat of the one on Earth, but I'd rather have beaten you when you were completely under my control, with all hope crushed. Still, I will crush you and restore the honor of my family."

_His armor is thicker, and he'll probably be more cautious._ Trunks took a defensive fighting stance as Cooler prepared to charge. When Cooler charged Trunks dodged to the right, evading a left hook and then brought his knee up to counter a sudden tail swipe. It was immediately clear that Cooler's thicker armor would make his attacks hit harder as well.

* * *

As the two super saiyans continued fighting, Glacer noticed a change in the tone of battle. Commander Mozar and Paragus had retreated somewhere and the soldiers were becoming scarcer. Then he saw a few ships lifting off in the horizon. Several explosions occurred below him and he saw the natives backing away from several sites as more ships began taking off, though one crashed back down when a stray blast from Broly made contact. The debris rained down on the city, and Glacer began blasting away some of the larger fragments so that the natives below could run to safety.

Juu was about to shoot another ship down when Glacer appeared in front of her. "You shouldn't do that," he said. "The debris could land on the people below." She looked annoyed, but then nodded when she saw the people in the city streets below.

"At least we'll be able to corner them," replied Juu, "did you accomplish the mission?" The changeling nodded, grinning and showing her the USB with the stored information. However they both looked up when they noticed a distinct lack of shockwaves. Gohan and Broly had stopped fighting.

Gohan was just as dumbfounded when Broly started talking to an unknown presence. "No father! I want to keep fighting! I want to kill him!" The larger saiyan was clutching his forehead; perhaps he was also in pain. Then Gohan noticed the metallic headband. It had been on Broly the entire battle, but now the gem at the center was glowing bright red.

The truth quickly hit Gohan. _It's Paragus! He's controlling Broly with that!_ Backing away, Gohan frowned a Broly continued to writhe in mid-air a few times. He tensed back up when it seemed like Broly would win the mental conflict and strike out at him again, but the larger saiyan seemed to calm down unnaturally before powering down and flying away to one of the ascending air ships. It was then that Gohan noticed the many retreating ships. _They're pulling out. I just hope that Glacer or Juu accomplished the mission._

Glacer smiled when Gohan landed next to him and Juu who were standing among a crowd of happy natives. "Here," he said handing Gohan the USB. "This should have all the information we need to break the enemy's code." Gohan took it gladly.

* * *

Trunks' forehead was now covered in sweat and his forearms had a few bruises, having blocked several powerful strikes. Just like the androids in his original timeline, Cooler didn't appear to be tiring, though there were a few minor indents in his armor, the most prominent being in the abdominal area.

The metallic changeling charged again and tried to land a right hook. Trunks dodged to his left and landed his own right hook on Cooler's right cheek, sending him tumbling through the air. With his opponent off balance Trunks was able to the rush in and ram his knee into Cooler's abdomen, deepening the indent that was already there. However as he back away, Cooler suddenly reach out and grabbed his spiky hair before delivering a powerful headbutt that made his Trunk's head spin.

When Cooler him go Trunks head was pound and he began dropping through the air, losing his super saiyan transformation. Stopping himself mid-air, Trunks had to flair up his ki fast as Cooler bore down on him. The characteristic golden flame reappeared as he generated an explosive wave that sent him opponent a few feet back, allowing him to finish his transformation.

Recovering quickly, Cooler rushed towards Trunks, but then did a roundhouse tail attack when he was a few feet away. When the half saiyan grabbed his tail, Cooler wasted no time reeling him into the land a punch to his forehead. This prompted Trunks to let him go and slowly fall backwards. However as Cooler tried to capitalize on his supposed advantage with a double-fisted smash to the gut, Trunks suddenly pulled his legs in before ramming both his feet into Cooler's exposed gut, further deepening the indent.

With his foe flying high into the air with rapid speed, Trunks had a few seconds to think. _I still have enough gas in the tank to keep this up for a while._ His superb eyesight allowed him to see Cooler clutch his abdomen for a brief moment before making his descent. Trunks shot up to meet him. He's definitely hurting so I'll have to keep him away from the buildings so he won't be able to heal himself.

Their fists clashed mid-air, generating a massive shockwave that rippled through the stratosphere, blowing several nearby clouds away. _That last hit hurt!_ Cooler was now beginning to feel the pressure, his abdominal armor being significantly thinner than that around the rest of his body. As they began exchanging blows mid-air Cooler was taken aback by Trunks' gradual power increase. _He wasn't this strong in the room! It's as if he was saving his true power for this moment!_

_He's definitely starting to feel the pressure._ Trunks backed away from a to evade a tail swipe before throwing a golden ball of ki at the frustrated changeling, nailing him in the face. _If I can keep him up here, he won't be able to regenerate and I'll have more of a chance to land a critical blow. _His muscles were sore, but the adrenaline kept him fighting.

_This isn't happening!_ Cooler backed away, clutching his smoking face with his hand and peering through the gaps between his fingers at Trunks. _How was he able to outsmart me? Monkeys aren't supposed to have that kind of intelligence!_ Removing the hand from his face, he clenched both his fists. _I have to get back down to the city where I can regenerate. _

Watching carefully, Trunks noticed Cooler glance downward for a moment. _He'll make a move to try and get back down._ He tensed up as Cooler tried to make a move. The changeling extended a hand as he attempted to fire off a distracting blast, but Trunks was faster. "Solar Flare!"

"AH!" Cooler's clutched his eyes, his attack being interrupted by the blinding light. _No! Not this technique again!_ "It's not going to be that easy!" Closing his eyes and relying on his sense of touch, Cooler sensed Trunks approaching and he aimed a punch directly in front of him. His fist caught Trunks off guard and doubled him over as it rammed into the saiyan's gut. When Cooler heard the demi saiyan groaning, he immediately dashed downwards towards the city below.

Though he was in pain Trunks found the will to dive down after him. "No you don't!" In a few minutes Cooler would be back in the underground passage where the he could use the metallic surfaces to regenerate. _I can't let him get there._ Pouring as much energy as he could spare, Trunks began catching up to Cooler and drew his sword, and reached out towards Cooler with his free hand.

Cooler's eyes widened as he neared the hole in the roof that Trunks had emerged from earlier. However a powerful ki blast struck him in the back, slamming him face down on the floor of room where the battle had begun. Instinctively, he rolled onto his back, just in time to have Trunks sword rammed through the large abdominal indent.

Trunks stared coldly into Cooler's eyes. The changeling was gasping; eyes wide with horror, and unable to extract the blade from his abdomen. However Trunks quickly realized where they were and wasted no time widened the wound his sword had created before ramming his hand inside. He pointed his palm in the direction of Cooler's brain and pushed towards it. The metallic walls were now oozing towards them, but stopped when Trunks fired a blast that fried Cooler's artificial brain.

* * *

Drones surrounded Piccolo and the rebels with him. The Namekian had spent the bulk of his energy fending them off, but more were still pouring into the underground chamber they were in. However as they all raised their fingers and began charging Death Beams, their attack stopped.

"What?" Piccolo's eyes widened when he saw the army frozen in front of him. The balls of ki at the tips of their fingers faded away. "They've shut down…there's only one reason why they would."

"Did he win," asked one of the soldiers behind him.

The Namekian smiled. "Yes. He won."

* * *

Traximus was still in the same prison cell that he had been in since waking after his capture. The room was now dark; Zanramon and his interrogators had given up the interrogation over an hour ago. A slight jolt indicated that the ship had entered an atmosphere of some sort. The shaking continued until the ship slowed down for a precise landing, and it felt awkward for Traximus to be strapped in, yet in an erect position for the process.

After landing, the ship remained relatively still, and Traximus began feeling out the strength of his bonds. His eyes had remained closed for most of the time since his capture and he had picked up an increased kinesthetic awareness of his body. _The cuffs are still sapping my strength._ His arms and legs were bound to the wall behind him and he felt power draining from them, not an excessive amount, but enough to prevent him from summoning his true strength.

_If there were some sort of power surge, even for a second, it would be enough._ Off course he was on an unknown planet and for all he knew the atmosphere was toxic, in which case it was most likely a pit stop to harvest supplies. Then he heard a new guard, a voice he didn't recognize, relieving the old ones of their post. Footsteps indicated that the guard was now headed towards him and soon enough there was a light revealing a new triceraton's face.

"So you're Traximus. I've never seen you face to face before," he said with an unusually respectful tone. Then he looked around behind him, most likely to make sure nobody else was listening in. "We've landed on Planet Dread, the main base of the Big Five, or the Big Four since Lord Slug…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Traximus actually felt somewhat unnerved by the lack of hostility. He didn't like hostility, but a friend in disguise was even more unsettling.

"My name is Styracus. I'm part of a small group of triceratons that have followed your example. When we heard that you had been captured, we decided to infiltrate Zanramon's flagship."

"Are you planning to bust me out at this point?" It would be the ideal time, when the ship's staff was bustling about to disembark. The guard nodded, and that brought on the next question. "How many of you are there, and how do you-" The power cut out and the guard's light was all the lit the room. Traximus stopped his thought and broke free within the fraction of a second that the power went out. "Like I was saying, how are we going to leave?"

"Please follow me," the guard whispered respectfully.

* * *

Tien opened his eyes, smiling. He had sensed his allies approaching when his eyes were shut. "Is it over?" Trunks, and Piccolo, who were both standing in front of him smiled.

"We've won," said Piccolo. "At least, we've won on this planet. The others are busy releasing Cooler's hostages. This planet should be safe for now, and we've re-established communication with Planet New Vegeta. The Big Five are now apparently on the defensive elsewhere."

Trunks finished freeing Tien from his bonds and supported him, as he was somewhat shaky. "We're going to be resting here for a little while, but after that we'll be heading out the help with the final attack. Is that all right with you?"

"It is," replied Tien. "I want to help out since I wasn't much use here."

Trunks shook his head. "Actually your technique, the Solar Flare, might have been the deciding factor against Cooler." They began walking out of the underground base. Piccolo had blown a hole in the roof to allow for a faster exit. Soon they were in the air, heading towards the base of the former rebels. "I had to blind Cooler and the walls of his special room in order to take the fight outside. I wouldn't have been able to beat him in that room."

"Its not just him," Piccolo chimed in. "There are several soldiers who want to thank you for teaching them the technique. It saved lives Tien. You saved lives, even if indirectly."

_Maybe they're right._ "I can live with that much," Tien replied, smiling to himself. _I hope you and Yamcha are holding up all right Chaotzu. Hopefully we'll soon all be together again._

* * *

The air was filled with screams of dead or dying lizard soldiers. They had been posted on the large moon of a gas giant planet to harvest resources, including special metals used for the armor of the mechs. Now they were being annihilated, leaving none to receive the message from Planet Dread. It contained a video of a battle that was now reaching its conclusion.

Cell entered the control room. It was so much more fun for it to hunt the stragglers down on foot than blow up the entire area. However it appeared that there was nobody left to kill. Everyone either evacuated or ran out to face it during the attack. This resulted in some boredom, which was what possessed Cell to take a peek at the message coming over the large main monitor at the far end of the room.

The computer was very user friendly; Cell guessed it was so that the plethora of unskilled soldiers he had just fought could make use of it. A few key types and mouse clicks later he had opened the video update. It showed what appeared to be an intense battle, at least more so than what Cell had just fought, at a Triceraton-controlled city. Now Cell wished it had gone to that planet, wherever it was, because the resistance there seemed more intense, however the next image intensified that feeling.

He saw Broly, the powerful super saiyan that supposedly served Paragus of the Big five. Many soldiers he had killed claimed that Paragus would send Broly to avenge them. Now Cell knew that they were at least referring to a real person, one who appeared to be stronger than Vegeta. However, moments later, another super saiyan rushed into view and damaged Broly with a punch to the gut before retreating several feet. Cell's eyes widened as it recognized the man.

_He's alive!?_ This fact was all it took to make him yearn for that other planet. Gohan's survival would surely come along with a power boost, though surely not one capable of making him as strong as Cell, at least that's what it hoped. There were now two super saiyans, both stronger than Vegeta, who Cell wished to challenge. Moment's later; Cell blasted off into the sky, crashing through anything in his way as he took off towards the planet Gohan was on.

* * *

"What do you mean he's missing?' Zanramon was fuming now and the soldier in front of him was trembling in fear. The emperor had a bad habit of verbally abusing the messenger. His desk groaned as he slammed a clenched fist down on it. "I distinctly remember orders to watch him at ALL times!"

"Um…well sir. It appears that the guard on duty is missing as well." He was withering under the Prime Leader's angry gaze. "He was most likely a traitor…like Traximus." The soldier winced as another clenched fist slammed onto the desk.

"More traitors?" However he soon smiled. "They'll be trapped here. This is our allies' planet. Whoever helped Traximus probably wouldn't get far." He began chuckling, causing the soldier to relax a little. "What are YOU waiting for? Go contact Dread and our allies and tell them to lookout for Traximus!" He smiled as the soldier jumped and almost ran out of the room to carry out the orders.

* * *

AN: This took me longer than I wanted it to, and has a lot of short scenes (aside from Trunks vs Cooler), but aside from that battle its mostly a segway to the final part of the story. I wish I could guarantee when I'll update next, but I'm not sure how long I'll take with the next chapter.


	18. Preparations for the Endgame

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

* * *

As he sat in his dark control room, lit only by the lights of his computers screens Dread scratched his bulbous pink forehead, groaning as the image on the main monitor blacked out. It had consisted of Cooler's last visions before Trunks impaled him, ending his life.

"And so the Big Five have been reduced to three," he muttered to himself. _With Cooler gone we've lost a major stronghold and a lot of our mineral resources. To top it off, we've lost much of our shock value. Now they're beginning to put the pressure on us._

A beeping on the main screen indicated an incoming transmission from Paragus. The saiyan's image appeared on screen moments later. His hair looked more messed up than usual, a sign that he had run his fingers through it many times recently. "Commander Mozar and I are going to arrive soon. We've had many setbacks on a lot of planets. Our forces were spread too thin."

"I agree," replied the doctor, leaning back and bottling his frustration. "We have to retreat and retrench in our strongholds. As long as we control at least one planet our cause is still viable, albeit difficult."

"What if they just decide to blow it up?"

"That is unlikely. All planets are of some value and it would be more beneficial to try and conquer them than blow it up. If you're referring to how Freeza dealt with the old planet Vegeta, I assure you it was an impulsive maneuver based on paranoia, and not a well thought out plan." _However that strange creature has been operating on different principles. There is no guarantee what it will do._

"Do you suggest we withdraw our forces back to your planet?"

Dread was about to answer when the monitor another message appeared on one of the side monitors. After briefly reading the message his face contorted into what could pass for a frown. "It appears we're being tracked. Several forces have reported having communications hacked. And think their codes have been broken."

"I just received the message as well," said Paragus moments before Zanramon's face appeared on another screen. The saiyan immediately took notice. "So you've received the message as well."

"I have, though there is something else," he replied, sounding more embarrassed than angry. "Traximus has escaped, apparently with an accomplice and both are currently roaming around the planet as we speak."

Instead of yelling, as he wanted to, Dread simply reclined in his seat, digging his claws into the soft leather armrests. "I'll notify my robots to look for them. Also I think we all need to retrench here. Worst case, our enemy knows where this planet is located and we need to defend it. It is our main source of advanced weaponry. I can put up a shield to prevent any remote planet destruction for a time, but it will help if had enough forces to keep the super saiyans busy."

"Understood," Paragus replied before terminating their communication. Zanramon did likewise.

* * *

The space pod entered planet cold's atmosphere, its outer shell burning up in the atmosphere. Luckily it was going to crash into one of the plant's vast subzero deserts. Once the landing was complete Glacer emerged and flew towards the city where he knew Tunder would be waiting for him. He had opted for a pod instead of a ship, being eager to return home as soon as possible and help with any reconstruction.

As he passed over a few fellow changelings they look up and wave at him, prompting him to wave back. It really did feel good to be back home, even if the planet didn't fit the conventional conception of a decent place to live. Soon the capitol's buildings came into view and when he upon landing several familiar faces greeted him. They were all soldiers he knew and had fought alongside since the days of King Cold.

After several greetings he was whisked into a large building, rectangular with a rounded top. Once inside he moved down several flights of stairs to arrive at the main control room that resembled the cockpit of a large space cruiser. There was a large main screen with several side screens located to the left and right where various changelings sat typing away. In the middle of the room there was an elevated area with a desk where several figures sat, two of them being Piccolo and Tunder.

"Hello my friend," said the smaller changeling as he gestured for Glacer to joined him. After a brief exchange of greetings between them the entire control room, including Glacer and Tunder focused on the main screens. They were beginning to reconnect with the other planets and they would soon start a three-way communication between themselves, New Vegeta, and Namek.

"Good to see you've returned home safely Glacer," said the Namekian elder Mori, who was accompanied by Nail. However they both quickly noticed Piccolo amongst the changelings. "You are Piccolo, the Namekian from earth who came to our planet several years ago," he said to the other Namekian.

This brought a smile to Piccolo's face. "Its good to see that you're okay…both of you," he added to Nail. _That was Kami speaking_, he mused to himself.

Vegeta, who had been watching the exchange silently, spoke up. "We can exchange stories when the war is over. Right now we need to focus on our next course of action." Then he directed his attention to Piccolo. "I take it your group is in?" Piccolo replied with an affirmative nod. "Good, we'll need all the manpower we get to invade their home planet, Planet Dread."

"That's an odd name," Elder Mori said, and everyone present nodded in agreement.

"I think it's named after the man in charge there," said Glacer. "He's supposedly the mastermind behind this entire war, and the man who designed much of the Big Five's technology. He might have also revived Cooler using advanced nanotechnology."

Vegeta nodded. "I don't know what species he is, but he'll most likely have an army of those mechs waiting for us, as well as a contingency plan against remote planet destruction."

"Is that even possible?" Being from Earth, Piccolo had no knowledge of technology outside of Dr. Gero's androids that could stop a super saiyan's attack. Even the other Namekians found it hard to believe.

"It definitely exists," said Glacer, with Tunder nodding in agreement. "When we worked for King Cold, he had the R&D department develop technology to protect our home world. With Freeza being a loose canon as a child he wanted to make sure his son wasn't going to blow up the planet in a fit of rage."

"Exactly," said Vegeta, redirecting attention to him. "The fighting will require that we enter the atmosphere and engage their forces directly." He looked to Glacer specifically. "You've only fought the Triceratons when they were scattered. Their forces will be more concentrated this time, and there will be all of Dreads robots, and Paragus' forces to deal with."

"I think we all understand that," Piccolo replied. "The real threat comes from their super saiyan."

"Gohan can handle him," Vegeta replied, " and I might take a crack at him as well. It's a simple matter to cancel him out, but Dread's other force remain unknown."

"We should gather our allies and then attack at several points," Glacer replied. "We'll need all the manpower we can get and attacking at multiple points, while spreading our forces, will also divide theirs. The real key is finding the leaders."

"We'll need to find their planet first," added Mori. "My people will not commit to an attack until we have some idea what to expect, and even then, most of us will only be there in a medical capacity."

"Understood," replied Vegeta. "We'll get back to you once we've found their home planet." The meeting came to a close and the changelings changed shifts in the control room.

Piccolo felt somewhat apprehensive as he left with Glacer and Tunder to see the other Z-Fighters. "I think Vegeta is assuming too much control in this situation," he said. "He really took charge in the meeting."

"I thought Mori put his foot down nicely," replied Tunder. "Vegeta's a warrior so we can expect him to have the most to say about war, but he didn't challenge Mori on his stance about the Namekians' role in this."

"He's right Piccolo," replied Glacer with some sympathy. "I've seen Vegeta in person, He's a proud warrior, but he's not a dictator. He only wants to govern his people. Besides, I doubt Gohan would let him go through with such a plan, especially since he's regained some past memories of living on Earth."

This piqued Piccolo's interest, though he chose not to say anything. _So…he remembers living on earth with his father and mother. I wonder how that's affected him? Should I tell Trunks?_ In the end Piccolo decided against doing so, not wanting to get the saiyan's hopes up.

* * *

Three figures stepped into the large hanger. One was the stocky Triceraton leader Zanramon, dressed in his regal brown and gown robes with a red cape. Another was the saiyan Paragus, dressed in his saiyan armor with the white cape, and gauntlet he used to control his son strapped to his left arm.

The last figure was as tall as Zanramon, but by far the lankiest of the three. He had a bulbous pink head with elfin ears and large black eyes. He wore a crimson jacket with jet-black collar and dark pants. His hands were pink, though his long bony fingers gave the skin a stretched appearance. He was Dr Dread, the mastermind behind the Big Five, no reduced to three.

"They are all fueled up and ready for combat," said the Doctor, gesturing towards the several large mechas lined on either side of the hanger. "The lizard men can hold their own against even the strongest saiyans, the triceratons can do even better, and you Paragus," he turned to the saiyan with a devious grin, "will be able to grind Vegeta into the dust in one."

Paragus smiled, but Zanramon wasn't sold. "We've had them at our disposal before, and they still ended up destroyed. The older models even like the last one Paragus used had only a limited ability to augment power. Sure they surprised Vegeta at first, but then our enemies quickly found workarounds."

"I understand your concern," replied Dread. "I've updated the models to iron out the kinks. They'll properly augment your strength and they're on the moment the pilot enters the cockpit, immediately activating their shields if they detect an attack coming. Many of the so-called workarounds involved stopping them before they activated, that will not be possible in the coming battle." He paused a moment. "The one problem is our limited supply, so I would strongly advise against sacrificing any of them for the sake of killing one enemy."

That comment made Paragus squirm a little inside. "Very well. As for Gohan I'm sure Broly can deal with him. He's got a bit of an advantage in speed and technique, but Broly more than makes up for it with his resilience. He'll just keep coming until Gohan is worn out."

Dread remained silent, but Zanramon nodded. "It's fortunate that we can deal with them in one decisive battle," the Prime Leader said. "However we'll have to deal with that terrorist who's been causing chaos throughout the galaxy. It's become such a nuisance."

""That's right," added Paragus.

"I understand," replied Dr Dread, "but that threat will have to wait until after we have finished with our main enemies. Its only one terrorist after all, I doubt he'll be more than we can handle." For now the other two yielded to his intellect. "We've got more than mechas now," he added, walking through the hanger with the other two in tow. "I've been working on these for quite a while, and King Cold's genetics technology helped me complete them.

At the end of the hanger they reached an elevator that took them several feet further underground. When the door opened it revealed a mostly dark passage lit by several green lights that dotted the walls at regular intervals. They moved straight through the passage ahead with automatic sliding doors at the end.

The room beyond was lit in a similar way to the halls, but the vast majority of light came from several glowing green giant test tube-like structures at the far wall. There were well over fifty of them lining it from one end to the other. Each contained several humanoid beings suspended within. They had a muscular masculine physique, but were completely hairless.

"These are my bio-warriors. They've been created specifically to counter the saiyans, though I'll admit they'll need experience before they can square up to the stronger ones."

Paragus raised an eyebrow as Zanramon eyed them with wonder. "How do you know they won't run amok? I need this special device to keep Broly in line," he said as he rose his hand that had his gauntlet.

"An understandable concern," Dread replied as if he was expecting this. "However I have engineered them to have a limited will. They'll know how to fight, but they won't dare defy us and even if they do, I've implanted something in their brain that works a similar way to Broly's ring."

Paragus nodded. And the three spent a few more minutes in the room before leaving. Their forces were as ready as ever for the upcoming fight.

* * *

After receiving the news from Vegeta, Gohan flew a distance away from the saiyan capital for training. Though the lack of gravity chambers and worthy sparring partners made any attempt at increasing raw power futile, he could still try to improve his technique. First he began drilling various basic move, ducking, punching, kick, blocking, repeating each move randomly while visualizing an imaginary opponent. After a while he moved to ki based attacks including basic ki blasts, and guided attacks.

Though it was hardly an intensive workout he eventually did work up a sweat. The sun, which had been at the mid-day point at his part of the planet, was now beginning to set below the horizon, though the capitol would have several more hours of sunlight left. He saw a figure flying at him from the horizon and immediately recognized Juu when he failed to detect a power level.

"Have you come for training?" he asked she stopped and hovered a few feet away from him. "Or do you have news?"

"Neither," she replied. "I just wanted to see where you went. I'm starting to get the hang of this ki sensing." Gohan nodded with an approving smile. "So what do you think will happen after the final battle?"

"I'm not sure," Gohan replied. "I can guess that there will be a lot of rebuilding to do, and off course we have to deal with Cell." They both became silent at the mention of the creature. It still stood at the top of the food chain as the most powerful being in the universe.

"There has to be some weakness in it," Juu mused. "It's so powerful and it has a perpetual energy source from Seventeen and Eighteen. That power has to come at a cost…" She trailed off into thought.

'What's on your mind," Gohan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just wondering what exactly happened to Seventeen and Eighteen when they were absorbed. If Cell has accessed to their power sources, then some of their hardware must be intact." She nodded to herself. "Dr. Gero had a special remote control that he used to deactivate us in case he lost control. If certain parts of Seventeen and Eighteen are still intact within him, then we might be able to deactivate them and reduce his power or at least curb his perpetual energy source."

"An interesting plan," he replied, though he sounded unsure. His saiyan side actually wanted to fight Cell at his maximum and win, but both that and his human side understood the consequences should he lose. "Let's think about this after we beat the Big Five," he replied with a smile. "We'll have more battle experience by then anyway."

There was a beeping sound coming from the white, wristwatch-like communicators on their wrists. Vegeta was summoning them back to the base, no doubt something he had some exciting news for them.

They arrived in the control room where Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, and Fasha were already present. The group was looking into the central and largest screen, flanked by three others on each side at far wall of the room. On the middle screen there was what look like a map of the galaxy, though the two dimensional view limited its usefulness.

"Ah Gohan, you're here," said Fasha. "We've found where the enemy troops are massing together. Come and see." The other saiyans made room for Gohan and Juu.

Vegeta then tapped a blinking spot on the screen. "That is Planet Dread, the planet we have to invade." He turned to another saiyan who was sitting at the leftmost screen. "Start contacting our allies and giving them the information." He then turned to a saiyan on the opposite end of the room. "Contact Planet Cold and cross reference our information with theirs. They'll be tracking the enemy as well."

* * *

A group of five aliens with grasshopper heads, and dressed in black outfits were gathered around a small screen positioned in the open area on a slab of rubble amidst the ruined city. The rest of their people were milling about in various makeshift camps, or combing the ruined city for useful supplies.

"Vegeta's asking us to send far too many troops," one of them said in a raspy voice. "Our planet will be left unguarded and vulnerable to opportunistic invaders."

"I understand your concern," replied another one in a slightly deeper voice. "However the big five are our biggest threat. Once they are out of the way, we can always come back and retake our planet."

"That assumes we will have enough people left after the invasion," replied the first one. "This will be a very risky and highly costly battle. Why else would the saiyans ask us to contribute?"

"I agree with you on that point," replied the other, and it was now clear that those two were leading the discussion. "However the cost of not giving them our support could be worse. The Big Five would win and eventually overwhelm us. These opportunistic space pirates are a possibility, but we don't have any tangible evidence of any being out there."

They began debating back and forth, though it was clear to any listener that they were leaning towards going to battle. Eventually the other three began chiming in, expressing a desire for revenge due to their humiliating imprisonment. However to a certain eavesdropper the coordinates of Planet Dread, displayed prominently on the screen, were the most interesting aspect of it.

Cell was floating upside down from a building, smiling as it watched the five aliens and the screen. It had arrive hours after Gohan's departure, and decided to try and find his location instead of massacring the populace. Genocide was no fun for when a potentially epic rematch was waiting for it. Broly, the other super saiyan had also caught its interest and now Cell knew where they would both be. Having memorized the coordinates of the target planet, Cell took off, while the natives were still arguing.

* * *

"Hello…" Bulma was both excited and anxious as she received a signal from the Capsule Corp spaceship. Her face lit up as four familiar faces appeared on screen. She called everyone into the room; Chichi, the residents of Kame House, and Chaotzu were all staying at Capsule Corp, eager for updates. "How did everything go?"

"We've pulled through so far," Trunks replied. "We helped liberate a planet and now we're planning to join the invasion for the final battle."

Chichi pushed forward, leaning over Bulma. "Please send Goten back. I don't want him to die. He's had his adventure now."

Goten looked disappointed at first, but when he looked into his mother's eyes he knew just how sad she would be if something did happen. Before Trunks could protest he spoke up. "I think I should go home. Mom needs me now that Dad is gone. I…I want to keep fighting. I want to help, but I also don't want to make mom sad."

"I'll take him home," said Tien, patting Goten's head. "I'm not sure the two of us would be necessary to the invasion anyway. I'll take him back on this ship, and you two will probably be able to get a ride home or ask us to come pick you up when its over."

Piccolo nodded. "I'm okay with that. Trunks?"

The half saiyan nodded. "We're probably the two who would most likely come back anyway. We'll fight and then come back when the battle is over. We could probably ask the Changelings or the Namekians to give us a lift home." _Besides I'd rather Goten not meet up with Gohan._

With the matter settled they ended the call after exchanging brief goodbyes. Goten and Tien prepared for the journey home, while Trunks and Piccolo received two space pods from Tunder for them to travel in. They did not have access to any larger ships at the moment. Goten packed the their bags and made sure their ship was well-stocked with supplies. Meanwhile, Trunks taught Tien how to operate the ship. The man had a vague idea, but quickly picked up specific controls, though he would keep it on autopilot for most of the journey. Piccolo decided to meditate to calm his mind and gather his strength. The changelings were gathering space pods making sure as many of them could get to battle as possible.

* * *

Traximus and his new companion Styracus crouched behind a building, careful to evade any surveillance cameras. "They don't seem to be looking for us," Styracus said. "We can hook up with the others near the Triceraton hangers." Those were the hangers Dread had reserved for the Triceraton forces where they could get their equipment upgraded.

Traximus remained silent, glancing back and forth nervously. "They've been preparing for an upcoming battle, but I don't think they've given up on finding us." He looked back up at the camera. "We'll need to be mindful of those. Perhaps we can engage in sabotage."

"I can contact the others," Styracus replied, nodding vigorously. "However we'll have to wait a few hours. We've discovered certain "dark periods" where we can exchange message without being detected. If we try during any other time, Dread will know about it."

Traximus nodded, but then led Styracus away as a group of lizard men arrived where they had been. After making a few well timed dashed across the open they were hiding behind another box-shaped building. "We'll be running around like this for a while. Stay on your tows and contact the others when the time is right." Thus began a game of hide and seek.

* * *

This was more of a setup chapter. The last battles of the story are coming up.


End file.
